Roll-up tarp apparatus

ABSTRACT

A roll-up tarp apparatus for attachment to an open top truck trailer having a truck box, having end caps at each end that partially cover the top opening. Preferred embodiments include at least one magnet on at least one of the end caps; even more preferably, a plurality of magnets along each end of the end caps, which are configured to releasably secure the flexible tarp to the end cap when the flexible tarp is in the secured position. Preferably, the flexible tarp is wound around an elongated roll bar that is secured to at least one arm that connects the elongated roll bar to the truck box and selectively activates movement of the elongated roll bar to move the flexible tarp from an open position to a secured position. Various embodiments include biasing members to bias the arm(s).

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/222,714, filed Aug. 31, 2011, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/463,049,filed May 8, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,226,150, which claimed thebenefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/051,999, filed onMay 9, 2008, and U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/169,185, filedon Apr. 14, 2009, under 35 U.S.C. 119(e); and U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/222,714, also claimed the benefit of U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 61/378,618, filed on Aug. 31, 2010, under 35 U.S.C.119(e). Each of the aforementioned applications is hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a roll-up tarp apparatus for an opentop truck cargo box or the like.

2. Description of the Related Art

Roll-up tarp apparatuses for truck cargo boxes having an open top arewidely utilized in the trucking industry. For example, U.S. Pat. No.4,505,512 (Schmeichel et al.) discloses a roll-up tarp apparatus for anopen truck box or trailer. The roll-up tarp apparatus includes a tarpmade from a flexible material. The tarp is secured along one side to thetop of the truck box. The other side of the tarp is attached to a rollbar with a plurality of flexible straps. A crank apparatus connected tothe roll bar by a U-joint and collar assembly is utilized to roll thetubular member transversely of the truck box opening so as toselectively enclose the truck box with the tarp or uncover the truckbox. A plurality of hooks are attached to the side of the truck boxopposite of the side to which the tarp is fixedly secured. The hooksretain the roll bar when the tarp is covering the truck box. Other knownroll-up tarp assemblies utilize a crank to control the movement of theroll bar and others, such as that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,208(Tsukamoto), utilize a motorized arm that is interconnected to the rollbar.

In motorized roll-up tarp apparatuses, a biasing member can be used toassist the motor in moving the roll bar in an unroll direction.Typically, a bungee cord is interconnected to a collar located on theroll bar and extends from the collar, around a corner of the truck boxand along at least part of the length of the truck box where the secondend of the bungee cord is attached. As the tarp is rolled-up across thetop opening of the truck box, the bungee cord typically stretches andrubs against the corner of the truck box. The constant stretching of thebungee cord along the corner of the truck box is a constant source ofabrasion on the cord, thus reducing the life of the bungee cord andincreasing the strain on the motor when the cord is at a reduced biasingcapacity. As the roll bar rolls up or unrolls the tarp, the arms movethe roll bar across a frame that supports the tarp over top opening ofthe truck box.

Other known roll-up tarp assemblies include springs to bias the arms inthe unroll direction. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,887(Schmeichel) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,304 (Schmeichel).

The present invention addresses limitations and problems associated withthe related art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a roll-up tarp apparatus for an opentruck box or the like. One preferred roll-up tarp apparatus includes atarp made of a flexible material having first and second longitudinalsides. One longitudinal side can be attached to a longitudinal side ofthe truck box and the second longitudinal side is connected to anelongated roll bar member of the roll-up tarp apparatus such that whenthe elongated roll bar member moves across the truck box in onedirection, the tarp is un-rolled from the roll bar to cover the openingof the truck box and when the roll bar moves in a second direction,across a middle of the truck box, the tarp is rolled-up and gathered onthe elongated roll bar member. In order to facilitate movement of theelongated roll bar member, one preferred roll-up tarp apparatus includesa crank arm having a top end and a bottom end. Optionally, the top endof the arm is connected to the elongated roll bar member to selectivelymove the roll bar in unroll and roll-up directions to respectively coverand uncover the opening of the truck box. Alternatively, a motorized armassembly can be used to move the elongated roll bar member. In such amotorized assembly, the bottom end of the arm can be pivotallyinterconnected to one end of the truck box and may be biased with one ormore biasing devices positioned at various locations on the arm.Alternatively, one or more biasing devices can be attached to orincorporated into the arm or the elongated roll bar member at variouslocations.

In various preferred embodiments, at least one lateral edge of theflexible tarp includes at least one magnet to releasably secure theflexible tarp to the end cap when the flexible tarp is in the securedposition. It is preferred that each lateral end includes a plurality ofmagnets, spaced from each other. Magnets are provided to prevent wearand tear on the flexible tarp due to wind and the like, as well as tosecure the cargo within the truck box.

Further, in preferred embodiments, the roll-up tarp assembly includes atleast one roll bar biasing member connected to one of the ends of theelongated roll bar member or the arm and, in preferred embodiments, tworoll bar biasing members, one connected to each of the respective endsor the respective arms proximate the respective ends. The roll barbiasing member(s) exerts a force on the roll bar member that places atension on the roll bar member and can urge the movement of theelongated roll bar member in the unroll direction thereby providingassistance when a user is operating the crank arm to rotate the roll barin the unroll direction. Preferably, the roll bar biasing members eachinclude a cord interconnected to one end of the elongated roll barmember; wherein the cord winds around the elongated roll bar member asthe arm directs the elongated roll bar member in the unroll direction.Preferably, each biasing member includes a tensioning element havingfirst and second ends, the first end of the tensioning element isinterconnected to the cord and the second end of the tensioning elementis interconnected to the second longitudinal side of the truck box andabove the latch plate when the roll-up tarp apparatus is operativelysecured to the truck box.

Moreover, various preferred roll-up tarp apparatuses are arranged andconfigured such that the cord of the biasing member winds around theelongated roll bar member such that a substantial portion of thewound-up cord is protected and stowed underneath the latch plate whenthe elongated roll bar member is in the latched position or,alternatively, the secured position.

These and various other advantages and features of novelty whichcharacterize the present invention are pointed out with particularity inthe claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for abetter understanding of the invention, its advantages and objectsobtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which forma further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, inwhich there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, in which corresponding reference numerals and lettersindicate corresponding parts of the various embodiments throughout theseveral views, and in which the various embodiments generally differonly in the manner described and/or shown, but otherwise includecorresponding parts;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roll-up tarp apparatus 10 operativelysecured over a trailer or a truck box 6 of a truck 5 and showing theelongated roll bar member 18 in a partially open position;

FIG. 2A is an enlarged end view of the front, right corner of the truckbox 6 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a view similar to that of FIG. 2A, but illustrating analternate method of securing the upper biasing member 50 a to theelongated roll bar member 18 with a rotatable collar 80;

FIG. 3 is a partial, perspective view of a rear arm 22 b of the roll-uptarp apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an abbreviated perspective view of attachment portions of theinitial preferred upper biasing member 50 a of the roll-up tarpapparatus 10 of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 5 is a partial, schematic, end view of the truck box 6 illustratinga front arm 22 a of FIG. 2A further including a restricting member 38 athat can prevent sleeve 32 a from moving downwardly past the restrictingmember 38 a;

FIG. 6A is a partial, schematic, end view of the truck box 6, similar tothat shown in FIG. 5, wherein cargo C is particulate material such asgrain, delivered into the truck box 6 and the restricting member 38 a issupporting the elongated roll bar member 18, and thus, the tarp 12,above a mound of the newly delivered cargo C;

FIG. 6B is a partial, schematic view of the arm 22 a as shown in FIG.6A, but showing an alternate restricting member 38 b and including aresilient compression spring 42;

FIG. 6C is a partial, schematic view of the arm 22 a as shown in FIG.6A, but showing an alternate restricting member 38 c;

FIG. 6D is a partial, schematic view of the arm 22 a as shown in FIG.6A, but showing yet another alternate restricting member 38 d;

FIG. 6E is a partial, schematic view of the arm 22 a as shown in FIG.6A, but showing yet another alternate restricting member 38 e;

FIG. 7A is a schematic, end view of the elongated roll bar member 18 asit is in the process of being secured over the trailer or cargo box 6,prior to being in a closed, stored or secured position; the cargo box 6contains a new load of cargo C such as grain or the like, which is shownin a mound in the center of the cargo box 6 prior to the usual shiftingof the load C that generally occurs over time during transport anddelivery of the load, similar to that shown in FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7B is a schematic, end view of the elongated roll bar member 18similar to that shown in FIG. 7A, but as the elongated roll bar member18 is stored in the secured position and illustrating how the flexibletarp 12 is tensioned downwardly to compress the cargo C down into thetruck box 6 as the tarp 12 is tightened on the elongated roll bar member18 against the latch plate 64 a;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a lower arm biasing mechanism 100 of FIG.1;

FIG. 9 is an alternate embodiment of an arm 22 a′, the alternate arm 22a′ interconnected to the side of the truck box with a ball joint 95 andshowing ball 93 of ball joint 95 in phantom;

FIG. 10 is a side, schematic view of the arm 22 a′ of FIG. 9,illustrating the preferred adjustable range of the arm 22 a′ allowed bythe ball joint 95;

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of an alternate biasing member 150connected to one end of the elongated roll bar member 18 of an alternateroll-up tarp apparatus similar to that shown in FIG. 1; but portions ofwhich are shown in phantom;

FIG. 12A is a partial perspective view of the end of the elongated rollbar member 18 of FIG. 11 (certain elements have been omitted forclarity);

FIG. 12B is a partial perspective view of the end of an alternateflexible tarp 12′ connected to the elongated roll bar member 18 of FIG.11;

FIG. 13A is a partial cross-sectional view of the end of the elongatedroll bar member 18 of FIG. 12A;

FIG. 13B is a partial, end view of the elongated roll bar member 18 andtarp 12′ of FIG. 12B when the elongated roll bar member is in anunrolled position;

FIG. 14 is a partial side view of an attachment plate 270 for securing aspring 156, which is a portion of the alternate biasing member 150 ofFIG. 11 to the first side 8 b of the truck box 6;

FIG. 15 is a front view of the attachment plate 270 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16A is a partial, schematic end view of the biasing member 150 ofFIG. 11, biasing the elongated roll bar member 18 toward the closedposition when the elongated roll bar member 18 is secured in an openposition and the cover 12 is rolled up on the elongated roll bar member18;

FIG. 16B is a partial, schematic end view of the elongated roll barmember 18 as the elongated roll bar member 18 moves toward the securedposition of FIG. 16C;

FIG. 16C is a partial, schematic end view of the elongated roll barmember 18 in the secured position, wherein the flexible tarp 12 is overthe truck box 6 so that the truck box opening (7 a, not shown) isclosed;

FIG. 17A is partial, schematic end view of a second alternate biasingmember 250, similar to that shown in FIG. 11, but including a pulley266;

FIG. 17B is partial, schematic end view of the second alternate biasingmember 250 of FIG. 17A as the elongated roll bar member 18 is movingtoward the secured position;

FIG. 17C is partial, schematic end view of the second alternate biasingmember 250 of FIG. 17A when the elongated roll bar member 18 is in thesecured position;

FIG. 18A is a schematic illustration of the elongated roll bar member 18as it moves from the secured position P1 to the open position P6;

FIG. 18B is a partial, schematic illustration of alternateconfigurations of the roll-up tarp assembly of FIG. 11 in which thebiasing member 150′, 150″, 150′″ can at least partially be secured atnumerous positions within the truck box 6 (as also shown in phantom);

FIG. 18C is an enlarged schematic illustration of cord 158′ of FIG. 18Bexiting the truck box 6 through grommet 170;

FIG. 19 is a partial, perspective, schematic view of arm 22 a includinga motive source 30 and a converter unit 300 to multiply to force of themotive source;

FIG. 20 is a top plan, schematic view of the converter unit 300 of FIG.19;

FIG. 21 is a schematic illustration of the internal arrangement of thecomponents or elements of the converter unit 300 of FIG. 19;

FIG. 22 a is a first graphical representation of the tension (lbs. oftensioning force) on the cord 158 of one preferred embodiment of thebiasing member 150 when the elongated roll bar member 18 is in positionsP1 through P6 as illustrated in FIG. 18A;

FIG. 22 b is a second graphical representation of the tension (lbs. oftensioning force) on the cord 158 of a second preferred embodiment whenthe elongated roll bar member 18 is in positions P1 through P6 asillustrated in FIG. 18A;

FIG. 23 is a partial, perspective view of a crank arm assembly 400connected to inner tube 419 a the elongated roll bar member, which canbe substituted for the motive force 30 of the roll-up tarp apparatus 10of FIG. 1;

FIG. 24 is an exploded, perspective view of the elongated roll barmember 18 of FIGS. 1 and 11-13;

FIG. 25 is an end view of the elongated roll bar member 18 of FIGS. 1,11-13 and 24;

FIG. 26 is a partial view of an alternate roll-up tarp assembly 510having a biasing member 550 positioned generally parallel to and above alatch plate 564;

FIG. 27 is a partial, side view of the roll-up tarp apparatus 510 ofFIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is an end view of an alternate roll-up tarp apparatus having aflexible arm 722 and lower biasing member 800;

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the lower biasing member 800 of FIG.28;

FIG. 30 is a partial, enlarged view of the flexible arm 722 of FIG. 28;

FIG. 31 is a partial, enlarged view, similar to FIG. 30, but cutaway toshow the manner of the connection between the spring 950 and the secondmember 924 b of an alternate flexible arm 922 that can be substitutedfor the flexible arm 722 of FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a partial, perspective view of a roll-up tarp apparatushaving a latch plate cap 1066 and a head cap 1069 to protect the cord158 from abrasion;

FIG. 33 is a partial, perspective view of an alternate embodimentincluding a plurality of latch plate sections 64 a′, similar to that ofFIG. 11, having a latch plate cover 1066′ secured to and bridging therespective latch plate sections 64 a′;

FIG. 34 is a partial, perspective view of a front end of an alternateroll up tarp assembly 1110, largely similar to that shown in FIG. 11;the roll-up tarp assembly 1110 includes a flexible tarp 1112 having aplurality of magnets 1188 that can secure the flexible tarp 1112 to endcaps 8 e, 8 f (not shown; see FIG. 35);

FIG. 35 is a partial, perspective view somewhat similar to FIG. 34, butat a different angle of that shown in FIG. 34 and of a rear end of theroll-up tarp assembly 1110 of FIG. 34, showing the rear end of thetrailer 6 and a rear arm 1112 b of the roll-up tarp assembly 1110;

FIG. 36 is a partial, exploded view of a bottom end 1124 d of rear arm1122 b of FIG. 35, in which, for the sake of clarity, not all of theconnecting parts are shown;

FIG. 37 is a partial, end view of the arm 1122 b of FIG. 35;

FIG. 38 is a partial, cross-sectional view of the arm 1122 b of FIG. 36as viewed along line 38-38 of FIG. 36;

FIG. 39 is a partial, perspective view of a post 1793 of the connectingportion 1727 of the rear arm 1122 b of FIG. 37 (with clock springs 1802removed for clarity);

FIG. 40 is a partial front view of the connecting portion 1727 of therear arm 1122 b of FIG. 39 with part of the connecting portion removedfor clarity;

FIG. 41A is an enlarged, partial view of the roll-up tarp assembly 1110of FIG. 34 illustrating the magnets 1188 connected to the flexible tarp1112 with caps 1180;

FIG. 41B is an enlarged, partial view of the roll-up tarp assembly 1110of FIG. 34 illustrating the magnets 1188 connected to the flexible tarp1112 with caps 1180; except that the end cap 8 e is equipped with astrip of galvanized steel 25 a that is need when the end cap 8 e or evenjust the top surface 25 of the end cap is made of aluminum or othernon-ferromagnetic materials;

FIG. 41C is an enlarged, partial view of an alternate roll-up tarpassembly 1110″ similar to that shown in FIGS. 34 and 41A, but in thiscase illustrating the magnets 1188″ connected to the upper surface 25 ofthe end cap 8 e and a small ferromagnetic plate 1189 secured to an edgeof an alternate tarp 1112″;

FIG. 42 is a partial, cross-sectional view of one magnet 1188 securingthe flexible tarp 1112 to the top surface 25 of an end cap 8 e of FIGS.34 and 41A, as viewed along line 44-44 of FIG. 41A;

FIG. 43 is an alternate roll-up tarp apparatus 2110, largely similar tothat shown in FIG. 34, wherein the roll-up tarp apparatus 2110 includesan arm 2722 having upper and lower portions 2724 a, 2724 binterconnected with a biasing hose 2750, similar to that shown in FIG.30, but without the spring 950 shown in FIG. 31;

FIG. 44 is a partial, side view of one preferred biasing member 2150that can be used in conjunction with the roll-up tarp apparatus 2110 ofFIG. 34;

FIG. 45A is a partial, front view of an alternate biasing member 3150when elongated roll bar member 3118 is in an open position, the biasingmember 3150 including a cord 3158 connected to a spring 3156; and

FIG. 45B is a partial, front view of the alternate biasing member 3150of FIG. 45A when the elongated roll bar member 3118 is in a closedposition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a truck 5 including a trailer, truck cargo box ortruck box 6 having a bed and four sides 8 a-d. In preferred embodiments,the truck box 6 can include one or two end caps 8 e and 8 f secured overa top 7 of the respective ends 8 a, 8 c of the truck box 6. Each end cap8 e, 8 f includes an end edge, opposing side edges, and a curved uppersurface 25. End caps have been made of many materials, rolled aluminum,composite, fabric sewn onto a metal of fiberglass frame, fiberglass andeven plastic. In preferred embodiments, the respective end caps are madeof ferromagnetic material such as sheet metal, preferably sheet steelsuch galvanized sheet steel, ferromagnetic stainless steel and the like.In alternate embodiments, the front of face of the end cap will be madeof aluminum and the upper surface will be made of galvanized sheetsteel. It will be appreciated the galvanized sheet steel will wearbetter than aluminum when operators climb over the top of the end capsas they are known to do and the aluminum arguably has a betterappearance, but doesn't wear as well as the sheet steel. Note that thetop 7 of the truck box 6, which defines a top opening 7 a, will besomewhat foreshortened by the use of one or more end caps 8 e, 8 f.Although in some cases, the roll tarp apparatus of the present inventionwill not include end caps, because they are sometimes provided by thetruck manufacturer or have been provided with a previously used rolltarp apparatus, the present invention can include end caps provide foreach end of the truck box 6. Similarly, support bows 9, if required andprovided, can be provided by the manufacturer of the truck box 6 oralternately provided as a part of the alternate roll-up tarp apparatus.One preferred roll-up tarp apparatus 10, operatively secured to a truckbox 6, is shown in FIG. 1. The roll-up tarp apparatus 10 includes aflexible tarp 12 that can be drawn over the top opening 7 a to covercargo C (see also, FIGS. 6A, 6B) within the truck box 6, an elongatedroll bar member 18, a crank arm positioned at one of the respective ends8 a, 8 c of the truck box 6. The crank arm allows a user to selectivelycontrol the position of the elongated roll bar member 18, as it isrolling-up (furling) or unrolling (unfurling) the tarp 12.

The preferred flexible tarp 12 is made of vinyl coated polyesterpreferably having a weight of from about 10-22 oz/yd², preferably about18 oz/yd², although lighter or heavier material could be used. Theflexible tarp 12 includes two longitudinal edges 14 a, 14 b and tolateral edges 16 a, 16 b. One longitudinal edge 14 a of the flexibletarp 12 is attached to one respective side 8 d of the truck box 6. Theother longitudinal edge 14 b of the flexible tarp 12 is secured to theelongated roll bar member 18, which is interconnected to an arm 22 aand, preferably, a second arm that is pivotally attached to onerespective end or lateral ends 8 c of the truck box 6.

Now also referring to FIGS. 1-2B, 5-6, 7 a-7B, 11, 13B and 16A-18A. Theroll-up tarp apparatus 10 preferably further includes a latch plate orrail 64 a, 64 a′ and a plurality of posts or stops 65. The latch plate64 a, 64 a′ is preferably removably positioned along one side 8 b of thetruck box 6, while the support posts 65 are positioned in a spaced apartrelation along the opposite side 8 d. The latch plate 64 a, 64 a′includes an innermost edge with a vertically oriented attachment flange64 h, 64 h′ and a downwardly facing curved or arcuate underside surface64 d, 64 d′ that is configured and arranged to receive the elongatedroll bar member 18 when the roll bar member is in the latched andsecured position. The downwardly facing curved or arcuate undersidesurface 64 d, 64 d′ includes an inner longitudinal edge 64 b, 64 b′ andan outer longitudinal edge 64 c, 64 c′. The vertical flange 64 h, 64 h′can further be attached to a spacer 64 i, 64 i′ that serves to space theinner longitudinal edge 64 b, 64 b′ of the downwardly facing curvedunderside surface 64 d, 64 d′ away from the side 8 b of the truck box 6,preferably by about ¼ inch to about 1¼ inch. As best illustrated inFIGS. 2A and 11, the preferred latch plate 64 a, 64 a′ is arranged andconfigured such that the elongated roll bar member 18 including thewound up tarp 12 is spaced away from and out of contact the side of thetruck box 8 b by spacer 64 i, 64 i′ when the elongated roll bar memberis underneath the latch plate 64 a, 64 a′ either in a stored position orotherwise.

As generally illustrated in FIG. 11 and further discussed below, thelatch plate 64 a′ need not be a unitary structure. The latch plate 64 a′can be segmented and include a plurality of spaced apart sections of anyeffective length spanning the length of the truck box 6. For example,the latch plate 64 a′ can include three sections, one at each end of thetruck box 6 and one in the middle. This generally prevents unnecessarywear damage to the side of the truck box. Preferably, the latch plate 64a′ is provided with spacer 64 i′ that positions the inner longitudinaledge 64 b′ of the downwardly facing receiving underside surface 64 d′ ofthe latch plate away from the side of the truck box 8 b; preferably byabout ¼ inch.

Further preferred latch plates 64 a, 64 a′ include an outer longitudinaledge 64 c, 64 c′ with a top surface 64 e, 64 e′ and a rounded surface 64f, 64 f′ over which both the flexible tarp 12 and the non-elastic cord58, 158 can be drawn. Such a rounded surface provides a controlledsurface with a smooth transition that can reduce wear as compared towhen the flexible tarp 12 and cord 58 are drawn over the comparativelysharp, angled edge of the truck box 6, which can be rough and abrasive.Optionally, the rounded surface 64 f, 64 f′ may include an upwardlyfacing longitudinal channel 64 g, 64 g′ that is configured and arrangedto receive moisture and direct it toward the ends of the latch plate 64a, 64 a′.

The truck box 6 will preferably include support bars or ribs 9 that spanthe respective longitudinal sides 8 b, 8 d of the truck box 6 and whichprovide support for the tarp 12 above the top opening 7 a of truck box6. Moreover, each end cap 8 e, 8 f is attachable to one end 8 a, 8 c ofa truck cargo box 6 such that their respective edges meet, and theirrespective curved upper surfaces 25 are able to support a portion of aflexible tarp 12 of a roll-up tarp assembly 10 when the tarp assembly 10is in a secured position or when the tarp assembly is moving betweensecured and open positions.

Referring now also to FIGS. 5 and 6A, it is noted that one preferredroll-up tarp apparatus embodiment will include two arms 22 a, 22 b, oneat each end of the truck box 6. Each of the arms 22 a, 22 b willpreferably include a shaft 36 a, 36 b and a sleeve 32 a, 32 b. Theshafts 36 a, 36 b are pivotally connected to respective ends 8 a, 8 c ofthe truck box 6 at a point of attachment 23 (see, FIG. 5, only one pointof attachment 23 for arm 22 a is illustrated, however, it will beunderstood that the second arm 22 b will be attached to the truck box 6in a similar manner). Generally, each sleeve 32 a, 32 b is able tofreely slide upwardly and downwardly on top ends 24 a, 24 b ofrespective arm shafts 36 a, 36 b so that the roll bar 18, which isconnected to the sleeve, is able to follow the general contour of theend plate 8 e as opposed to following an arc described by the top end 24a of the arm 22 a, 22 b. In other words, the interaction of the shaft 36a, 36 b and sleeve arm 22 a, 22 b are able to accommodate a varying orvariable distance D, wherein the distance can be measured from thecenter of the pivotal point of attachment 23 and a variable point ofcontact. The point of contact can be, for example, established by theelongated roll bar member 18 as it traverses over the end cap 8 e (ingeneral terms, over the top 7 of the truck box 6, which is generally theresting place for the roll bar 18 when the tarp 12 is mostly unrolled asshown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 3). The point of contact can also beestablished by the bottom-most portion of the flexible tarp 12 as thetarp is rolled-up (or furled) on the elongated roll bar member 18 andcontacts the upper surface 25 of the respective end cap 8 e, 8 f, whichis interposed between the top 7 of the truck box 6. It will beappreciated that this variable distance D changes both: 1) as a distancebetween a variable location on the top 7 of the truck box 6 or the uppersurface 25 of the respective end cap 8 e, 8 f and the respective centerpoint of pivotal attachment 23 varies through a turn radius of therespective arms 22 a, 22 b; and 2) as the tarp 12 is rolled-up on theelongated roll bar member 18 creating varying thickness of gathered tarp12 on the elongated roll bar member 18. For instance, in the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1-3 and schematically in FIGS. 5 and 6A, the top opening7 a is almost completely uncovered when the arms 22 a, 22 b are over asfar as they can go to the left (as shown schematically in phantom inFIG. 5). In this situation, the tarp 12 (not shown for clarity in thisFigure) will be almost completely rolled-up on the elongated roll barmember 18 and the gathered tarp 12 (see also, FIGS. 2A and 3), which isrolled up on the elongated roll bar member 18 will rest against therespective support posts 65 and on the upper surface 25 of therespective end caps 8 e, 8 f.

It will be further appreciated, that the thickness of the gathered tarp12 (see also, FIGS. 2A and 3) on the roll bar member 18 will not liftthe roll bar 18 from the upper surface 25 of the respective end caps 8e, 8 f on each end of the truck box 6, when the roll bar member 18 isclose to the edge of the truck box when the tarp is nearly covering theentire top opening 7 a. In alternate embodiments, where the end caps 8e, 8 f are lower than the bows, support bars or ribs 9 that are providedwith the various truck box 6 manufactured in North America, the bottomportion of the rolled-up tarp 12 (see also, FIG. 2A) may rest on thebows 9, raising the roll bar member 18 the distance of the thickness ofthe tarp gathered on the roll bar as it rests on the bows 9 proximatethe respective ends 8 a, 8 c of the truck box 6 and thereby separatingthe roll bar member that further distance from the respective points ofattachment 23 and raising the rolled-up tarp above the upper surface 25of the respective end caps 8 e, 8 f for a short interval during therespective roll-up and unroll processes. Preferably, the bows 9 arepositioned slightly higher than the end caps 25 to further tension andspread the tarp 12 across the truck box opening 7 a. It will also beappreciated that as the roll bar member 18 moves over the top opening 7a in the direction of the other longitudinal side 8 b of the truck box6, and the tarp 12 is being unrolled in order to cover the top opening 7a, the space between the roll bar member 18 and upper surface 25 of therespective end caps 8 e, 8 f will gradually diminish. Because the arms22 a, 22 b are also turning through a path (not designated) that maydiffer from a contour or radius R of the end caps 8 e, 8 f of the truckbox 6 or the upper surface 25 of the end caps 8 e, 8 f interposedbetween the top opening 7 a and the roll bar member 18, the variabledistance D is also subject to change.

In any case, it will be appreciated that the respective sleeves 32 a, 32b make upward or downward adjustments with respect to the respectiveshafts 36 a, 36 b to accommodate these variations in space and distance,so that the roll bar member 18 can rotate from left to right away fromthe support posts 65, toward the latch plate 64 a, 64 a′, in an unrolldirection, shown in phantom in FIG. 5 or rotate from right to left awayfrom the latch plate 64 a, 64 a′ and toward the support posts 65 as thetarp 12 is rolled-up or furled on the roll bar member 18 and the topopening 7 a is uncovered and open (see also, FIG. 5).

In the other preferred embodiments of the present invention, selectivemovement of one arm 22 a is actuated by a motive source 30 having amotor 31. In such embodiments, the motor 31 will preferably be either anelectric motor or a hydraulic motor, although other suitable motors mayalso be used. In the most preferred embodiments, the motor 31 will be aSuper Winch Power Drive (Model No. 719627 from Super Winch, Inc. ofPutnam, Conn.), which includes a worm gear (not shown) that drives theturning of the elongated roll bar member 18. As shown in FIG. 2A, themotor 31 can be attached to the sleeve 32 a and connected to anelectrical power source 33, as shown in FIG. 1, by electrical conduit34. It will be appreciated that other power sources may also be usedincluding, without limit, a truck battery (not shown) or a power takeoff (PTO) (not shown). Although it is within the scope of the presentinvention to provide a second motive source (not shown) to actuateselective movement of the roll bar member 18 from the back end 8 c ofthe truck box 6, in coordination with the selective movement of the rollbar member 18 actuated by the motor 31 associated with the arm 22 a onthe front end of the truck box 6, it is believed that a second motivesource is unnecessary to provide the necessary actuating assistanceneeded to either: 1) roll-up the tarp 12 as the roll bar member 18 movesin the roll-up direction; or 2) unroll the tarp 12 as the roll barmember 18 moves in the unroll direction and the tarp 12 is unrolled tocover the top opening 7 a. It will be appreciated that the selectivemovement of the roll bar member 18, in either the unroll or the roll-updirection, may be actuated by a hand crank of a type that is well knownin the art, including that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,505,512;5,823,067 and 6,135,534, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference (see also, FIG. 23). One of the greatadvantages of using a worm gear type motor, is the screw portion of theworm gear acts as a stop or lock against any un-rolling of the roll barmember when the roll bar member is motionless in any position,especially in the fully closed position, when the roll bar member issecured up against the latch plate 64 a. In that position, it isespecially important to maintain tension on the roll bar member 18 sothat it does not loosen up during transit and begin to flop around andbang against either the latch plate or the side of the truck box 6. Theworm gear type motor, which is preferred, significantly reduces thelikelihood that the roll bar member 18 will unroll and loosen withrespect to its engagement with the latch plate 64 a.

It will be appreciated that the selective movement of the roll barmember 18, in either the unroll or the roll-up direction, is can beactuated by a hand crank of a type that is well known in the art,including that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,505,512; 5,823,067 and6,135,534, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference (see also, FIG. 23).

FIG. 2A also illustrates an upper or roll bar biasing member 50 ainterconnected to the sleeve 24 a of arm 22 a. A second upper or rollbar biasing member 50 b can be provided at the back end 8 c of truck box6 and secured to the second arm 22 b, for example, as shown in FIG. 3.The upper biasing members 50 a, 50 b are provided in preferredembodiments to assist the motive source 30 in moving the arms 22 a, 22b, and indirectly the roll bar member 18, in the unroll direction or inother words, in a direction toward the second longitudinal side 8 b ofthe truck box 6. The preferred upper biasing members 50 a, 50 b that areinterconnected to the arms 22 a, 22 b are preferably connected to thetruck box 6 with a retaining strap 70 on the longitudinal side 8 b oftruck box 6 as illustrated in FIG. 4 and extend along at least part of alongitudinal side 8 b of the truck box 6 and preferably to therespective arm 22 a, 22 b, where it is attached to the respective sleeve32 a, 32 b; or alternatively, the elongated roll bar member 18 as shownin FIG. 2B.

In order to prevent wear damage of the biasing members 50 a, 50 b, acorner guide 66 a, 66 b, 66 c is preferably provided. Each corner guide66 a, 66 b, 66 c includes a base 67 a and an orthogonally orientedflange 67 b. The base 67 a is provided with an aperture 67 c thatreceives a fastening element, and the flange, which extends outwardlyfrom the base, is provided with transverse slot 67 d that is incommunication with the aperture 67 c. A cord 58 may be connected to bycorner guide 66 a, 66 b, 66 c by passing it between arms formed by theslot 67 d and into the aperture 67 c. Preferably, the edges of theaperture 67 c are rounded and the surface of the aperture is providedwith a low-friction material. More preferably, corner guide 66 a, 66 b,66 c is plastic. The guide 66 a, 66 b, 66 c can be aligned eitherhorizontally (see FIG. 2A) or vertically aligned (see FIG. 2B).

FIG. 2B illustrates the upper biasing member 50 a somewhat differentlyconfigured as compared to FIGS. 1-2A. The upper biasing member 50 aextending through corner guide 66 c that is arranged such that thegenerally non-elastic or generally non-extendable cord 58 of the upperbiasing member 50 a passes through the corner guide 66 c and is directedgenerally perpendicular to the latch plate 64 a to where the upperbiasing member 50 a can be interconnected to the elongated roll barmember 18 with a rotatable collar 80 by way of a D-shaped ring 82, thatis attached to the collar and which extends radially therefrom.Alternate embodiments of the roll tarp assembly of the present inventioncan have one collar 80 at each end of the roll bar member 18 so that theroll bar member is tensioned at each of its respective ends. The collar80 is can be arranged and configured such that it is easily and freelyrotatable about the elongated roll bar member 18 such that as theelongated roll bar member 18 rotates and moves over the upper surfaces25 of the respective end caps 8 e, 8 f at each end of the truck box 6,neither of the two respective generally non-elastic cords 58 will windaround the elongated roll bar member 18.

It will be appreciated that alternate embodiments of the roll-up tarpapparatus 10 may be configured to have one arm at each end of the truckbox 6, with each arm provided with a connecting member 44 a, 44 b thatis connected to opposite ends of the elongated roll bar member 18. Upperbiasing members 50 a, 50 b can be interconnected between the latch plate64 a or truck box 6 and one of the respective arms 22 a, 22 b, oralternatively, one of the respective ends of the elongated roll barmember 18. It will be appreciated that the respective upper biasingmembers 50 a, 50 b can also be attached to the respective arm 22 a, 22 bat one end and to the roll bar member 18 at the other end. Furthermore,in certain truck cargo box configurations, where the rear end of thetruck box opens, an arm at the rear end would likely interfere with theopening and closing operations. For that reason, and also because thecost of the addition arm may be a factor, arms at both ends areunnecessary and a single simple arm, preferably located at the front,may be provided and the rear end of the elongated roll bar member willbe connected to the latch plate or truck box with an upper biasingmember of the present invention or by other biasing members of the typethat have been disclosed in the prior art, e.g. the bungee cord engagedwith the roll bar member as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,512(Schmeichel), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein byreference. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the roll-up tarpassembly may be either motorized or manually driven. In the manuallydriven embodiment, power to the arm will be provided by a hand crank,similar to those now in use and publicly disclosed in the patentliterature and elsewhere (see also, for example, FIG. 23). It will beappreciated that a crank arm assembly or handle is relatively dissimilarto the arms of the present invention, insofar as it is not pivotallyconnected to the truck box. In this regard, it will be furtherappreciated that the upper biasing member of the present invention maybe provided in yet another alternate embodiment in which the motivesource is a hand crank and each end of the elongated roll bar member isinterconnected to the truck box by a biasing member, either or both ofwhich may be an upper biasing member attached to a collar (see, forexample, FIG. 2B) secured to the elongated roll bar member. In alternateembodiments, the cord can be securely attached to the roll bar membersuch that the cord winds around the elongated roll bar member as thetarp is opened and unwinds as the tarp is unwound (see, for example,FIGS. 12A, 12B). In such embodiments, the arm can be a crank handle andit will not be pivotally connected to the end of the truck box ortrailer, but a biasing member of one type or another will be provided.The biasing member may be an upper or roll bar biasing member of thepresent invention, preferably one interconnected to the latch plate ateach end of the roll bar member, but other biasing members andmechanisms that are well known in the art may also be used.

It will be further appreciated that other various types of arms can beused. For example, hinged or biased arms can be utilized. Examples ofsuch arms are disclosed in FIGS. 28 and 30-31 and U.S. Pat. No.7,188,887 (Schmeichel), the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference.

The upper biasing member 50 a, 50 b is preferably interconnecteddirectly to the respective arm 22 a, 22 b even more preferably, to thesleeve 32 a, 32 b of the respective arm 22 a, 22 b. In the preferredembodiment shown in FIG. 4, the upper biasing member 50 a includes anelastic member or cord 56. The elastic member or cord 56 is preferably astretch cord, bungee cord, shock cord, elastic rope or the like havingan extensibility of at least about 60% greater than its relaxed,unstressed state, more preferably at least about 80%, even morepreferably about 100%, and even more preferably at least about 130%.When the upper biasing member 50 a, 50 b is interconnected directly tothe respective arm 22 a, 22 b, the upper biasing member 50 a, 50 b willnot wrap around the elongated roll bar member 18. The sleeve 32 a, 32 bcan include a connecting ring 40 a, such that the upper biasing member50 a, 50 b can simply be clipped on to a sleeve 32 a, 32 b of therespective arm 22 a, 22 b with a clip 62, such as a carabineer or thelike. It will be appreciated that any other known connecting device maybe used as an alternative to the clip.

The rear arm 22 b is similar to the front arm 22 a as discussed herein,but is preferably interconnected to the elongated roll bar member 18with a connecting member 44 b. The connecting member is adjoined to thesleeve 32 b, which can slide along the shaft 36 b of the arm 22 b as theelongated roll bar member 18 is moved in the roll-up and unrolldirections. FIG. 2A also illustrates an upper biasing member 50 ainterconnected to the arm 22 a. Preferably, a second upper biasingmember 50 b is additionally provided to assist the motive source oroperator of the crank arm in moving the elongated roll bar 18 in theunroll direction. The second upper biasing member 50 b also is largelysimilar to the first upper biasing member 50 a as previously discussedand is preferably connected to a second retaining strap 70, just asillustrated in FIG. 4, which extends along at least part of alongitudinal side 8 b of the truck box 6 and to the respective arm 22 b,or alternatively, the elongated roll bar member 18. The second upperbiasing member 50 b of FIG. 3 is preferably interconnected directly tothe respective arm 22 b, even more preferably to the sleeve 32 b of therespective arm 22 b. The sleeve 32 b can include a connecting ring 40 b,such that the upper biasing member 50 b can simply be clipped on to thesleeve 32 b of the respective arm 22 b with clip 62, such as acarabineer or the like. Alternatively, the rear arm may be omitted invarious embodiments.

In some preferred embodiments, the roll-up tarp assembly 10 will includeonly one arm 22 a located at the front end 8 a of the truck box 6 toaccommodate truck boxes 6 having a rear end 8 c that opens (notspecifically illustrated). In these embodiments, the rear upper biasingmember 50 b can be interconnected to the elongated roll bar member 18similar to the arrangement and configuration illustrated in FIG. 2B.

Referring now also to FIG. 4, in preferred embodiments, the upperbiasing members 50 a, 50 b on each end of the truck box 6 will be twodifferent interconnected cords, one of which is an elastic member ortensioning element 56 such as a stretch cord, bungee cord, shock cord,elastic rope, spring or the like and the other of which is a generallynon-elastic cord 58, which is joined to the elastic member 56 to formthe two-piece biasing member 50 a, 50 b. In providing the two-piecebiasing member 50 a, 50 b, the inventor has constructed and arranged theelastic member 56 in such a way that the elastic member 56 is notrequired to stretch through the respective corner guide 66 a, 66 b, 66c, which would be abrasive for the elastic member 56 when the respectivearm 22 a, 22 b is moving in the roll-up direction and the roll barmember 18 is moving toward the support posts 65. In other words, thegenerally non-elastic portion 58 of the respective upper biasing member50 a, 50 b is preferably long enough and the elastic member is shortenough such that the elastic member 56 will not extend around respectivecorner guide 66 a, 66 b, 66 c of the truck box 6 when the elongated rollbar member 18 is in the fully open position proximate the support posts65. It will be appreciated that as either cord 56, 58 passes throughsuch a corner guide 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, in many circumstances the cordwill be required to pass over an edge, which will likely abrade thecord, especially if it is an elastic cord such as a bungee cord. Elasticcords are often especially subject to wear as they pass over hard edges,because they have an outer woven “skin” or “jacket.” The design of thejacket allows the elastic inner cord to stretch as the woven material ofthe jacket is draw straight to allow the inner elastic cord material tostretch. The jacket is highly subject to wear, however, and this isespecially true for cords having greater extensibility. So, when anelastic cord is drawn around a corner, the elastic cord is believed tobe subject to high wear rates, requiring frequent replacement.

The cord 158, 258 may be made out of a plurality of woven strands ofnatural material such as jute or the like, or a plurality of strands ofpolymeric rope making material such as polyester, nylon or the like oreven wire ropes or cables. In preferred embodiments, the generallynon-elastic cord will be a nylon polyester braided cord, preferably a3/16 inch nylon polyester braided cord. With synthetic materials, thecord preferably includes a jacket surrounding an inner cord. Preferably,the inner cord is polyester material and the jacket is made of nylonmaterial. In preferred embodiments the inner synthetic cord will be madeof an aramid material such as para-aramid or meta-aramid materials suchas KEVLAR®, Technora®, Twaron®, Heracron®, Nomex® and the like and thejacket will preferably be made of. Para-aramid and meta-aramid syntheticcords and the like are preferred because they generally do not stretchover time. Metal rope and cables are not generally preferred, however,as they are not generally flexible enough to allow the generallynon-elastic cord to slide around the edges of the truck box. Inaddition, a metal rope and cables are generally more abrasive and canmar surfaces. For embodiments in which a jacket is secured over theinner cord, black is the preferred color for the jacket because it isbelieved that black will best prevent ultraviolet rays from damaging theinner cord.

The inventor have discovered that using elastic cords of diminishedsize, which are doubled, as opposed to one elastic cord that is twicethe size of the two cords, can provide a greater ratio of pull backforce provided by the doubled cord as compared to the force required topull the cord out, thereby enhancing the desirability of upper biasingmember when it is included the doubled elastic biasing cord as shown inFIG. 4. It will be appreciated that the doubling of the elastic cord inthis way also enhances the ability of the product assembler to connectthe generally non-elastic cord to the elastic cord, as well, because thedoubled cord provides a loop at its end, which is easy to tie to. Withrespect to the generally non-elastic cord 58, it has been discovered bythe inventor, and is believed but not relied upon, that a cord or ropeof a smaller diameter, which is also strong enough to bear the load thatit will be required to bear, will be more desirable as the generallynon-elastic portion 58 of the upper biasing member 50 a, because a greatportion of the biasing force of the elastic portion 56 of the upperbiasing member will actually be translated so as to place that biasingforce on the respective arm 22 a or roll bar member 18. It is believed,but is not relied upon, that because the smaller rope or cord will beexposed to less friction as it passes around a corner or over an edge,the biasing force of the elastic cord is not diminished as much as itmight be if the cord had a larger diameter. For this reason, the size ofthe generally non-elastic cord is preferably less than about ½ inch,preferably, less than about ¼ inch in diameter. In the most preferredembodiments, this cord will be about 3/16 of an inch, which is believedto diminish the loss of biasing force as the cord passes around thecorner or over the edge. It will be further appreciated that the elasticmember 56 of the upper biasing member 50 a may include a plurality ofelastic cords. While simply doubling the elastic cord 56 over to form adouble stranded elastic portion will be preferred, it will be furtherappreciated that it may also be desirable to have a plurality ofseparated elastic cords or two or more doubled elastic cords. Theelastic member 56 of the upper biasing member 50 a may have any numberof elastic cords or springs arranged in any configuration so as toprovide a resilient elastic portion that will stretch and then placeforce against the ends, when the elastic portion is stretched.

Preferably a generally non-elastic cord 58, which is more resistant toabrasion, is interconnected with the elastic member 56 so that thetwo-piece biasing member 50 a, 50 b has the attributes of bothcomponents where these attributes are most useful. That is, the elasticmember 56 provides extensibility and elasticity, but is not required towrap around a corner or over an edge as it passes through a corner guide66 a, 66 b, 66 c. The generally non-elastic cord 58, which is moreresistant to abrasion than the elastic member, is able to be drawnagainst the respective hard edges of the corner guides 66 a, 66 b, 66 cwhen the roll bar member 18 extends away from the latch plate 64 a. Thepreferred elastic member will preferable have an extensibility of fromabout 40% to about 220% greater than its relaxed, unstressed state,preferably from about 60% to about 200%, more preferably from about 90%to about 170%, even more preferably from about 110% to about 150% andmost preferably about 130%.

It will be appreciated that the generally non-elastic cord 58 may be anycord that has very limited extensibility and may stretch slightly whenthe respective ends are drawn apart under at least some force. Theextensibility of the elastic member 56 will generally be at least 10times, preferably at least 20 times, more preferably at least 30 timesas great as the limited extensibility of the generally non-elastic cord58, which may stretch somewhat, but will not be what is generallyrecognized to be an elastic cord or spring. The generally non-elasticcord 58 may be made out of a plurality of strands of naturally materialsuch as jute or the like, or a plurality of strands of polymeric ropemaking material such as polyester, nylon or the like or even wire ropeor cable. Metal rope or cable is not generally preferred, however, as itis not generally sufficiently flexible to allow the generallynon-elastic cord 58 to wrap around the hard edge of the corner guides 66a, 66 b, 66 c or truck box 6. In preferred embodiments the generallynon-elastic cord 58 will be made of a plurality of strands of polymericmaterial, woven together to form the generally non-elastic rope or cord,preferably nylon polyester material. In preferred embodiments, thegenerally non-elastic cord will have a hollow polyester braided jacketand preferably a 3/16 inch polyester core, which may or may not bebraided.

Upper biasing members 50 a, 50 b have respective first and second ends52, 54. As illustrated, each preferred upper biasing member 50 a, 50 bincludes an elastic member or cord 56 interconnected to a generallynon-elastic portion or cord 58. In this embodiment, a bungee cord 56 isinterconnected to a rope 58 made of a durable material, such as nylon(see also, above discussion regarding possible cords). Each upperbiasing member 50 a, 50 b is arranged and configured such that inoperation, the generally non-elastic portion 58 is the only portion ofthe upper biasing member 50 a, 50 b that contacts the edge of the truckbox 6, or corner guide 66 a, 66 b, 66 c located on the respective cornerof the truck box. The generally non-elastic portion 58 is more durablethan the elastic member 56 and thus, can withstand more contact with therespective abrasive corner or corner guide 66 a, 66 b, 66 c. Asillustrated, the upper biasing members 50 a, 50 b can be supported alongthe truck box 6 with one or more respective support guides 68.

The first end 52 of each upper biasing member 50 a, 50 b is preferablysecured in a parallel fashion either above or below the latch plate 64 awith one respective retaining strap 70 that has a plurality of apertures(located behind knotted ends 60, see FIG. 4). The ends 60 of the elasticcord 56 can be threaded through the apertures and secured by, forexample, knotting cord ends 60. Additionally, grommets 76 are providedto reinforce the apertures, to strengthen the strap proximate theapertures and to further support and secure the knotted end 60 againstthe aperture. The retaining strap 70 can be secured to the truck box 6with a fastener 74. As illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2B and discussed above, asecond end 54 of each respective upper biasing member 50 a, 50 b ispreferably interconnected to the respective arm 22 a, 22 b (see also,FIG. 1). It will be appreciated that other mechanisms that are known inthe art may be used to join the respective cords 56, 58 of the upperbiasing members 50 a, 50 b and in securing the biasing members 50 a, 50b to the truck box 6.

It will be appreciated that a strap 70 material will be selected thatcan withstand the force placed on the attachment point by the biasingmember. It will be further appreciated that the retaining strap 70 isnot necessarily made of a flexible material and can be made out of arigid or semi-rigid material as stated above and that the grommet can bereplaced by a washer or the like. The retaining strap 70 is preferablymade of woven material; most preferably nylon polyester strap materialthat is determined to be strong enough to secure the respective upperbiasing member 50 a, 50 b to the truck box 6 without breaking, tearingor otherwise allowing the respective upper biasing member to disconnectfrom the truck box under normal use conditions. It will be appreciated,that other functionally suitable materials may be used in place of theretaining strap including without limit flexible, semi-rigid or evenrigid materials that will include a rigid plate.

Now also referring to FIG. 5, which schematically illustrates thegeneral movement of the front arm 22 a as viewed from the front end 8 a(not shown in this figure for clarity) of the truck box 6. In preferredembodiments, the shaft 36 a, 36 b of each arm 22 a, 22 b includes arestricting member 38 a such that the sleeve or sliding portion 32 a, 32b of the arm 22 a, 22 b is prevented from traveling down the shaft 36 a,36 b, past the respective restricting member 38 a. Restricting themovement of the sleeves 32 a, 32 b downward along the shaft 36 a, 36 bis beneficial in that the elongated roll bar member 18, and thus thetarp 12, will be lifted substantially above apex A of the end caps 8 e,8 f of the truck box 6 and, as generally shown in FIG. 6A. Grain cargois often crowned in the center, having a height highest toward the apexA of the end caps 8 e, 8 f. As the elongated roll bar member 18 moves inthe unroll direction away from the support posts 65 and toward the latchplate 64 a, the restricting member 38 a associated with the shaft 36 awill prevent the sleeve 32 a, to which the motive source 30 and theelongated roll bar member 18 are attached, from sliding down the shaft36 a as the arm 22 a reaches the apex A of the end cap 8 e. This willhave the effect of raising the motive source 30 and the roll bar 18 upand over and accumulated grain or other cargo C, gathered in the centerof the truck box 6 (see, for example, FIGS. 5, 6A), as the tarp 12 isunrolled to cover the top opening 7 a (see, for example, FIGS. 7A and7B). After the tarp 12 is secured and the cargo C settles, spreading outmore evenly within the truck box 6, the operator can re-secure the tarp12 to insure a tighter fit.

When the top opening 7 a is covered by the tarp 12 and the roll barmember 18 is secured against the underside of the latch plate 64 a, thetop opening 7 a is covered by the roll-up tarp apparatus 10. When theoperator wishes to expose the top opening 7 a when it is covered by thetarp 12, the operator will activate the hand crank or motive source 30so that the elongated roll bar member 18 will initially move down fromthe underside of the latch plate 64 a, until the tarp 12 is fullyunrolled and the roll bar member 18 will then continue to turn in thesame direction and begin rolling the tarp 12 up on the roll bar member18 in the opposite direction, initially climbing upward as it begins togather the tarp 12. As the roll bar member 18 continues to gather androll the tarp 12 up on its extended length, the roll bar member 18 willtraverse over the latch plate 64 a and then continue to gather or furlthe tarp 12 as the roll bar member 18 turns over the upper surfaces 25of the respective end caps 8 e, 8 f and moving in the roll-up direction.When the roll bar member 18 has gathered or furled all of the tarp 12 itis positioned adjacent the nexus of the support posts 65 and the areawhere the tarp 12 is attached to the longitudinal side 8 d of the truckbox 6.

As illustrated schematically in FIGS. 7A, 7B and 13B, when the roll-uptarp apparatus 10 is moving in the unroll direction driven by the motivesource 30 (or, alternatively, a crank handle as shown in FIG. 23), theelongated roll bar member 18 will eventually traverse over the latchplate 64 a, 64 a′, and then travel down below the latch plate 64 a, 64a′ until the tarp 12, 12′ is fully unrolled. Preferably, the tarp 12,12′ is long enough such that the elongated roll bar 18 drops a length Lbetween about 5 to about 15 inches from below the highest point alongthe radius of the underside 64 d′ of the latch plate 64 a′, morepreferably about 7 to about 13 inches, even more preferably about 9 toabout 11 inches, even more preferably about 10 inches. The long drop Lallows the elongated roll bar member 18 to be secured underneath thelatch plate 64 a, 64 a′ even on a windy day, where the elongated rollbar member might bow due to the wind, so that the center of theelongated roll bar member bows, and even when a large load is loadedinto the truck box 6 so that it initially extends above the top surface25 of the end caps 8 e, 8 f in the middle before the load settles intothe truck box 6. Once the tarp 12 is fully unrolled, the elongated rollbar member 18, still driven by the motor 31 of the motive source 30,will roll-up in an upward direction gathering or rolling-up the tarp 12until the roll bar member 18 has gathered as much of the tarp 12 that isavailable within the space that is allowed and it is secured underneaththe latch plate 64 a (see also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,512 Schmeichel etal., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein byreference).

The restricting members of the present invention may take many forms. Inpreferred embodiments, the shaft 36 a, 36 b of each arm 22 a, 22 b willinclude a plurality of adjustment apertures 29 a, 29 b. A preferredrestricting member, preferably a bolt 38 a, can be inserted transverselyinto one of the respective adjustment apertures 29 a, 29 b andinterconnected with a reciprocating nut 37 a, which, together, limit thedownward distance the sleeve 32 a, 32 b can slide on the respectiveshaft 36 a, 36 b.

Referring now also to FIG. 6B, an alternative restricting memberincludes a spring 42 that is placed above the respective restrictingmember 38 b to generally support the respective sleeve 32 a, and thusthe elongated roll bar member 18, above the cargo C in the truck box 6as the arms 22 a, 22 b direct the elongated roll bar member 18 in theroll-up and unroll directions. It will be understood that the spring 42of the present invention can be substituted with a variety of resilientmaterials.

FIGS. 6C-6E show alternative restricting member embodiments that can beused as a substitute for the restricting members 38 a, 38 b,respectively illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The restricting member ofFIG. 6C is a collar 38 c secured on the respective arm 22 a with afastener 39 c. The restricting member of FIG. 6D is a pin 38 d insertedthrough one of a plurality of apertures of the respective arm 22 a. Thepin 38 d can be secured to the respective arm 22 a with a fastener 39 d.The restricting member of FIG. 6E is a flattened portion 38 e of therespective shaft 36 a formed such that the sleeve 32 a cannot slidebelow the flattened portion 38 e. It will be understood that therestricting members disclosed are merely illustrative and alternativeswill be possible without departing from the spirit and scope of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 5 additionally illustrates how each upper biasing member 50 a, 50 bassists the movement of the respective arms 22 a, 22 b in the roll-updirection (only the first upper biasing member 50 a is shown but it willbe understood that second upper biasing member 50 b is arranged andconfigured similarly). When the respective arm 22 a is moving in therolled-up direction (from right to left, as shown in the figure), theupper biasing member 50 a is stretched and tensioned. As the motivesource 30 directs the arm 22 a in the unrolled position, the tensionedupper biasing member 50 a urges the arm 22 a to the other side 8 b ofthe truck box 6, thus assisting the motive source 30. FIG. 5 furtherillustrates, in phantom, the elongated roll bar member 18 in an openposition, wherein the elongated roll bar member 18 has completelyrolled-up the flexible tarp 12 and the elongated roll bar member 18 andthe gather tarp 12 rolled up against the plurality of support posts 65extending along the longitudinal side 8 d of the truck box 6, oppositethe latch plate 64 a (see also, FIG. 1).

Referring now also to FIGS. 9 and 10 that illustrate an alternative andpreferred method of securing at least one respective arm 22 a′ to therespective side 8 a, 8 c of the truck box 6 with a bracket or the like90, 90′. As shown, a bottom end 26 a′ of the arm 22 a′ preferablyincludes a retaining element or connecting portion 27′ having a socketthat corresponds to a ball 93. The ball 93 is provided with a threadedstem that is interconnected to the support member 94. The correspondingconnecting portion 27′ and ball 93 collectively form a ball joint 95 toallow for minor adjustments of the longitudinal placement of the top ofthe respective arm 22 a′ as best illustrated in FIG. 10. The preferredallowed range of movement is at least about 5 degrees, preferably atleast about 10 degrees, more preferably at least about 15 degrees andmost preferably at least about 20 degrees such that the roll-up tarpapparatus 10 can be effectively used with truck beds having a variety oflengths. For example, if the elongated roll bar member 18 is longer thanmight be needed, the ball joint 95 will allow for the longer roll bar18. Moreover, the ball joint 95 is preferred for truck boxes havingslanted ends 8 c′ (as shown in phantom in FIG. 10), where it is likelythat the arm 22 a′ will have to slant back toward the top of an end cap(see also, FIG. 2A) over the top opening 7 a of the truck box 6. It willbe appreciated that such slanted back truck boxes allow haulers to carrymore cargo lower to the center of gravity of the trailer and alsoprovide a preferred climbing angle for a hauler wanted to climb up aladder at the back of the truck box to inspect the cargo load in thetruck box.

In alternate preferred embodiments, each respective arm 22 a, 22 b isadditionally biased with a lower biasing member 100 as best illustratedin FIGS. 1 and 8, preferably one lower biasing member 100 operativelyengaged with each arm 22 a, 22 b. As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 8,preferably one of the respective arms 22 a, 22 b, in this illustrationfront arm 22 a, is interconnected to the respective side 8 a of thetruck box 6 with a mounting bracket 90. The mounting bracket 90 includesopposing feet 91 a with apertures for receiving fastening elements, anda raised section 91 b that is spaced outwardly from the side 8 a of thetruck box 6 when the mounting bracket is attached to the truck box.Extending from the raised section 91 b of the mounting bracket 90 is asupport member 92 to which one arm 22 a can be rotatably mounted. Inthis embodiment, the bottom end 26 a of the arm 22 a includes analternate retaining element 27 configured to be a transverse cylindricalportion that can be connected to the support member 92. The preferredlower biasing member 100 includes a torsion spring 102 positioned on thesupport member 92 between the mounting bracket 90 and respective arm 22a. Preferably, a first nut 94 is welded to the support member 92, whichis threaded on both ends. The cylindrical retaining portion 27 of thearm 22 a can be slid over the support member 92 and secured thereto by asecond nut 96. The lower biasing member 100 having an assisting end orarm 104 with a finger 105 and a static or stationary end 106, with thebiasing member 100 arranged and configured such that the lower biasingmember will assist the motor 31 of the motive source 30 (see also, FIG.2A) by applying a force F to the arm 22 a so that the arm 22 a is urgedin the direction of side 8 b of the truck box 6. The mounting bracket 90preferably includes a stop, a block 98 or similar device to maintain theposition of the static or stationary end 106. As illustrated, the finger105 of the preferred assisting end 104 engages the respective arm 22 aand pushes the respective arm 22 a in the unroll direction. It will beunderstood that a lower biasing member 100, located proximate the bottomend 26 a of the arm 22 a, can be used in conjunction with or as analternative to the upper biasing member 50 a located toward the top end24 a of the respective arm 22 a. A similar lower biasing member ispreferably operatively secured to the second arm 22 b.

Another preferred lower biasing member 800 is illustrated in FIGS.28-29. Lower biasing member 800 is preferably attached to a bracket 798that is secured to the side of the truck box 6. The bracket 798 having arod or post 793 on which one or more clock springs 802 or the like canbe secured. The clock spring(s) 802 can also be secured to a bolt 803 ofthe connecting portion 727 of the arm 722 such that the clock springs802 bias the arm 722 in the unroll direction. The connecting portion 727can be sized such that the clock springs 802 are generally contained bythe connecting portion and the clock springs will not move laterallyalong the rod 793. The lower biasing member 800 of FIG. 29 can be usedwith all various arms disclosed herein as desired. The lower biasingmember 800 can be similar to the pivot apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,944,374 (Searfoss), the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference.

Now also referring to FIGS. 11-16C, the roll bar biasing member 150 isoperatively connected to a truck box 6. The roll bar biasing member 150includes a cord 158 having first and second ends 160, 162, one end 162is interconnected to the elongated roll bar member 18 and the other end160 is interconnected to a tensioning element 156, such as a spring,which in turn, is interconnected to the truck box 6. Preferably, oneroll bar biasing member 150 is attached to each end of the elongatedroll bar member 18 although only one is shown for clarity. The preferredtensioning element 156 is a metallic coil spring, versus, for example,an elastic cord, because it is believed that springs generally workbetter when the temperature is generally at or below freezing and/orthere is frost and/or snow on the tarp and/or spring. The inventor hasfound that the elasticity (or stretchability) of an elastic cord isgenerally more affected by cold temperatures in comparison to a metalliccoil spring. For example, a cold bungee cord will typically lose asignificant amount of its elasticity in very cold weather whereas aspring generally will not. The tensioning member 156 is preferably aspring but can be at least one elastic cord or the like having anextensibility of at least about 60% greater that its relaxed, unstressedstate, more preferably at least about 100%, even more preferably atleast about 130%. One preferred spring is made of music wire or the likehaving a wire diameter of about 0.148″, an outside coil diameter ofabout 1.50″, free length of about 14.0″, a spring rate of about 3.6lbs./in., an initial tension of about 10 lbs., a maximum load of about92 lbs., a maximum deflection of about 23″ and a zinc PL finish or thelike. Yet another alternative tensioning element is the return unit 100disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,838 (Searfoss), the disclosure of whichis hereby incorporated by reference.

Biasing member 150 is connected to one longitudinal side 8 b of thetruck box 6 such that an unwound portion of the cord 158 and thetensioning element 156 remain generally perpendicular to the elongatedroll bar or roll tube 18 during operation. This perpendicularrelationship provides for a generally self-adjusting and self-aligningroll bar biasing member in that the unwound portion of the cord 158 willhave the tendency to remain generally perpendicular to the elongatedroll bar member 18 as the cord 158 is continually tensioned in thedirection of the longitudinal side 8 b of the truck box for which thebiasing member 150 is secured. Generally, the unwound portion of therespective cord 158 of the respective biasing member 150 remainsperpendicular to the elongated roll bar member 18 because of theconstant tension exerted on the cord 158. Therefore, the tension exertedon the respective ends of the elongated roll bar member 18 will begenerally equal and provide for generally even movement of the ends ofthe roll bar member. When the cord 158 is being unwound from theelongated roll bar member 18, as the roll bar member moves from theclosed position to a fully open position in which the flexible cover ortarp 12 is full wound up upon the elongated roll bar member 18, theforce on the cord 158 generally increases and the spring 156 stretches.As the cord 158 unwinds as the elongated roll bar member 18 is on thetop of the truck box 6, rolling along support bars 9 and the ridges ofthe respective top surfaces 25 of the end caps 8 e, 8 f along the edgesof the end caps, the cord 158 actually unwinds slower than the tarp 12gathers or winds up on the roll bar member 18, especially as the tarpthickness on the roll bar 18 begins to grow in thickness, because thecord 158 tends to be gathered directly on the outer surface of the rollbar 18, whereas the thickness of the tarp, as it becomes rolled up uponthe roll bar, makes the diameter of the surface upon which the tarp 12is wound, increasingly greater than the diameter of the roll bar 18proximate the area where the cord 158 is gathered. For this reason, thecord 158 has to slide over the top 25 of the end cap 8 e proximate theroll bar member 18 and over an edge 64 f′ of the latch plate 64 a in thedirection of the roll bar member, even as the spring 156 is beingstretched and the force on the cord 158 is being increased, because thecord 158 is being released from the roll bar member 18 at a slower ratethan the linear length of the tarp 12 is being gathered or wound up onthe roll bar member 18 and at a slower rate than the roll bar member 18is moving over the top opening 7 a of the truck box 6. When the tarp 12is being unwound from the roll bar member 18, and the roll bar member ismoving from an open position toward a closed position, the tarp 12 isreleased or unwound faster than the cord 158 is wound up on the roll barmember 18, so, in that case the cord 158 will again slide over the top25 of the end cap 8 e and over an edge 64 f′ of the latch plate 64 a,but in this case it will be releasing the stress on the spring 156 andsliding back toward the latch plate 64 a.

While the biasing member 150 may be connected directly to the truck boxside 8 b, connection via an attachment plate 270 is preferred. Onepreferred attachment plate 270 includes a base 271 and an extension 272that is angled with respect to the base 271. The base 271 includes anaperture 273 for receiving a fastener 274 that is used to secure theattachment plate 270 to the truck box side 8 b. The extension 272, whichpositions the biasing member 150 away from the surface of the truck boxside 8 b, includes a slot or channel 275 that is in communication with atensioning element receiving section 276 having at least one securingridge 278 with a plurality of serrations. Preferably, the tensioningelement 156 is a spring having a portion that can be inserted into theslot or channel 275, moved toward the receiving section 276 and thenretained at one of the serrations of the securing ridge 278. It isadvantageous to provide a plurality of serrations along the securingridge 278 so that the position of the tensioning element 156 can beadjusted and less care needs to be taken when locating the properposition in which to secure the attachment plate 270 to the side of thetruck box 8 b.

Yet another preferred biasing arm 922 is illustrated in FIG. 31. Thebiasing arm 922 includes a first member 924 a and a second member 924 b,wherein the two members are interconnected by a coil spring 950 havingfirst and second ends 954. The preferred spring 950 is made of anoil-tempered medium basic steel wire per ASTM A229 having a spring ratein torsion to be of about 1.67 lbf-in./degree°. The biasing arm 922 ofFIG. 31 can be used with any of the disclosed roll-up tarp assemblies.The spring 950 will naturally resist stretching and bending as the arm922 moves to the side of the truck box to position the tarp in an openposition, the spring 950 will stretch and bend to some limited degreestoring potential energy. It will be appreciated that the springselected will be one that balances the need to bend with the need toretain its unbent shape. As the motor or hand crank (not shown but seeFIGS. 1-21 and 23) moves the arm 922 to position the tarp in a closedposition, the spring 950 will assist the motor or hand crank as thespring 950 will release its stored energy. The biasing arm 922 of FIG.31 can be used with any of the disclosed roll-up tarp assemblies.

A further, alternative roll-up tarp apparatus 710 having a biasing arm722 is illustrated in FIGS. 28-30. The biasing arm 722 includes a firstmember 724 a and a second member 724 b, wherein the two members 724 a,724 b are interconnected by a resilient, flexible hose or conduit 750.The second member 724 b is connected to the truck box (not shown, seealso, FIG. 1) with a bracket 790. A resilient, reinforced hose ispreferred, but a conduit can be used. The preferred hose 750 is areinforced, high pressure hydraulic hose from Scheiffer InternationalGroup that will bias the respective arms toward an in-line or straightorientation, preferably a high pressure hydraulic hose such as a hoseI.D. 25.4+1.0/−0.4 from Scheiffer GmbH & Co. KG of Lippstadt, Germany.In preferred embodiments in which a conduit is used, the preferredconduit will be a flexible metallic conduit, preferably one that iscovered with a polymeric covering such as a flexible, liquid-tightconduit from McMaster-Carr (Part No. 8069K16), flexible steel conduitfrom Bliss Yih Enterprises Co., Ltd., Taiping, Taichung, Taiwan (PartNo. BS EN 61386) or the like. The biasing arm 722 of FIGS. 28 and 30 canbe used with any of the disclosed roll-up tarp assemblies. Similar tothe embodiment of FIG. 31 above, the hose 750 will naturally resiststretching and as a motor 731 moves the arm 722 to the side of the truckbox to position the tarp in an open position (as shown in phantom), thehose 750 will stretch and bend, thus storing potential energy. As themotor 731 moves back to position the tarp (not shown in this figure) ina closed position, the hose 750 will assist the motor 731 as theresilient hose 750 will release its stored energy. The biasing arm 722of FIGS. 28 and 30 can be used with any of the disclosed roll-up tarpassemblies.

The hose, conduit or spring 750, 950 of the biasing arms 722, 922 ofFIGS. 30-31 is preferably connected to hollow, first and second members724 a, 924 a, 724 b, 924 b by swaging or constricting the hollow pipemembers 724 a, 724 b, 924 a, 924 b around the hose, conduit or spring750, 950. Preferably, the hose, conduit or spring 750, 950 is partiallyinserted within each of the hollow first and second member 724 a, 924 a,724 b, 924 b and then a swaging machine such as a 480 volt, three-phase,FINN-POWER Swaging Control, from Finn-Power Co., is used to swaging thefirst and second members 724 a, 924 a, 724 b, 924 b around ends of thehose, conduit or spring 750, 950. Even more preferably, respective tipsor ends 954 of the spring 950 are inserted within the hollow first andsecond member 924 a, 924 b further than the area to be swaged to furtherassist in retaining the first and second members 924 a, 924 b to thespring 950 (see, for example, the breakaway section of FIG. 31.

One preferred roll-up tarp apparatus 110 further includes a protectivebumper 268 or the like attached to the side 8 b of the truck box 6proximate the latch plate 64 a, 64 a′ and extending downwardly towardattachment plate 270. The bumper 268 primarily serves to protect theside 8 b from the biasing member 150, which, under tension, can besnapped against the side 8 b of the truck box 6 and cause damage. Thebumper 268 can also protect the side 8 b from the roll up tarp apparatus110 that is improperly secured and which may swing up against the side 8b. Preferably, the bumper 268 is provided with a somewhat resilientsurface so that is able to protect an errant biasing member 150 orelongated roll bar member 18 from damage as well. See, for example, seeFIG. 11. In addition, preferred biasing members 150 may be provided witha sheathing or shroud 164 to protect the tensioning element 156 fromdebris or the like. Preferably, the sheathing is in the form of aflexible sheet of material with two lateral edges and two longitudinaledges. The longitudinal edges can include complimentary fasteners, suchas hooks 166 and loops 168, so that the sheathing can easily be securedaround and removed from the tensioning element 156 without having toremove the tensioning element from the attachment plate 270.

With respect to the roll-up tarp apparatus 110 of FIGS. 11-16C, thegeneral tension exerted by the biasing member on the elongated roll barmember 18 is not constant as the elongated roll bar member rolls orunrolls the flexible tarp 12. As is shown in FIG. 18A and the graphdepicted in FIG. 22 a (see also, Table 1 below), tension exerted on theelongated roll bar member 18 at the completely secured position (P1) andat the completely open position (P6) is about equal (within about 1lb.). In addition, it is noted that in this embodiment there iscontinual tension placed on the elongated roll bar member 18 when theroll bar member is in intermediate, partially-open positions (P4-P5) orpartially closed positions (P2-P3) and even when the elongated roll barmember is in the secured or latched position (P1) as is also illustratedin FIG. 16C. Continual tension exerted on the elongated roll bar member18 when the roll bar member is in the secured or latched position isadvantageous because, it has been discovered that it will substantiallyeliminate lateral swinging of the elongated roll bar member. This, inturn, can prevent damage from the elongated roll bar member bypreventing it from repetitively banging against the respective side 8 bof the truck box 6. In addition, if continual tension is exerted on theelongated roll bar member 18, there is a reduced risk that wind gustscould infiltrate under the flexible tarp 12 and lift the tarp up,similar to a sail. This can be a significant problem as wind lifting thetarp 12 up could potentially blow the tarp off of the truck box 6 orotherwise damage the roll up tarp apparatus. Since grain trucks areoften used in the plains of the Midwest, where gusty winds are common,the present invention provides a significant advantage as compared toknown devices that do not address this problem. It is noted that theamount of tension noted in Table 1, which is illustrated in the graph ofFIG. 22 a is simply an example, and that the actual amount of forceexerted by a tensioning element can differ based on the particulartensioning element selected as well as the configuration of the roll-uptarp apparatus (see also, FIG. 22 b).

It will be appreciated that alternate roll-up tarp apparatuses may havea tension pattern more similar to what is illustrated in FIG. 22 b. Toacquire the data illustrated in FIG. 22 b, a roll-up tarp apparatus wasoperatively secured to a truck box. The roll-up tarp apparatus wassimilar to that shown in FIG. 11 and included a biasing member having aspring made of music wire having a wire diameter of 0.148″, an outsidecoil diameter of 1.50″, a free length of 14.0″, a spring rate of 3.6lbs./in., an initial tension of 10 lbs., a maximum load of 92 lbs., amaximum deflection of 23 in. and a zinc PL finish. The roll-up tarpassembly was operated to open the cover from a secured position P1. Ateach position (P1-P6) illustrated in FIG. 18A, the movement of theelongated roll bar member 18 was stopped and the length of the springwas measured to indicate the amount of stretch. The various stretchlengths are listed in Table 2 below. Then, to determine the amount oftensioning force exerted by the spring, a pull type scale, preferably aCabela's Buck Scale (Item No. XJ-226597), was attached to the spring andthe spring was stretched to correspond to the length of the springmeasured during operation of the roll-up tarp apparatus. Once the lengthof the spring equaled that measured during operation of the roll-up tarpapparatus, the pounds of tensioning force indicated on the scale wererecorded and the record force is listed in Table 2 below. It is notedthat the highest amount of tensioning force exerted by the tensioningelement (spring) in both FIGS. 22 a and 22 b is highest when theelongated roll bar member is in the secured position and the openposition.

TABLE 1 Corresponding Tensioning Force Position (lbs.) P1 54 P2 18 P3 20P4 25 P5 35 P6 55

TABLE 2 Corresponding Length of Spring Tensioning Force Position (in.)(lbs.) P1 40 235 P2 15.5 66 P3 15.5 66 P4 17 77 P5 20 98 P6 28 155

As with previous embodiments, when the roll-up tarp apparatus 110 ismoving in the unroll direction driven by the motive source 30 (or,alternatively, a crank handle), the elongated roll bar member 18 willeventually traverse over the latch plate 64 a′, and then travel downbelow the latch plate 64 a′ until the tarp 12 is fully unrolled. Oncethe tarp 12 is fully unrolled in an unrolled position (P2), theelongated roll bar member 18 can be rolled-up in an upward direction,gathering or rolling-up the tarp 12 until the roll bar 18 has gatheredas much of the tarp 12 that is available within the space that isallowed until the roll bar member 18 and the tarp 12 rolled up on theroll bar member 18 engage the latch plate 64 a′ so that the roll barmember 18 is pressed up against the latch plate 64 a′, with the gatheredportion of the tarp being “sandwiched” in between, and the roll barmember 18 is fully secured underneath the latch plate 64 a′ in theclosed or fully secured position (P1). When the tarp 12 is fullyunrolled and then is moving upward to be secured underneath the latchplate 64 a′, as shown in FIG. 16C, the cord 158 preferably and theflexible cover 12 are both being wound around the elongated roll barmember 18 in the same direction with respect to the rotational movementof the elongated roll bar member 18. When the roll bar member 18 isturned to allow the tarp 12 that is wound up on the roll bar member anda portion of the cord 158 that is wound up on the roll bar member to beunwound, as the roll bar member 18 moves from the fully closed orsecured position (P1) to the “unwound” position (P2) shown in FIG. 13and schematically in FIG. 18A, the tension on the roll bar member 18,exerted by the respective biasing elements at each of the respectiveends of the roll bar member 18, is the least that it will be at anypoint in the movement of the roll bar member 18, i.e. from the fullyclosed position (P1) to the fully open position (P6). In this unwoundposition (P2), the tension on the each end of the roll bar member 18 ispreferably preset so as to maintain sufficient tension to prevent theroll bar member 18 from striking the side of the truck box 6 and/orprevent the roll bar member 18 from being carried upwards over the topof the truck box 6 by a gust of wind that catches the underside of theunwound tarp 12, so that the roll bar member is pulled up and over thetruck box. When the elongated roll bar member 18 is in the fullyunrolled position (P2), if the roll bar member 18, as shown in FIG. 16B,turns in a clockwise direction as viewed from the front of the truck box6, the tarp 12 will wind up on the roll bar member 18 and the cord 158will also wind-up on the roll bar member 18 as the roll bar member 18moves toward the closed or fully secured position (P1). When the rollbar member 18 is in the fully unrolled position (P2) and the roll barmember 18 is turned in the opposite direction (counterclockwisedirection), the direction of the tarp winding will change. As the tarp12 begins to be wound in the other direction and the roll bar member 18moves from the unwound position (P2) to the initial wind-up position(P3), shown schematically in FIG. 18A, the tarp begins to wind-up on theroll bar member 18, but the cord 158 continues to be released from andunwound from the roll bar member 18. As the elongated roll bar member 18moves over the top 7 of the truck box 6, toward the fully open position(P6), shown schematically in FIG. 18A, the cord 158 is unwinding and theflexible tarp 12 is winding up with respect to the rotational movementof the elongated roll bar member. It will be further appreciated thatwhen the roll bar member 18 moves from the fully open position (P6),shown schematically in FIG. 18A, to the initial wind-up position (P3),shown schematically in FIG. 18A, the cord 158 will wind up on the rollbar member 18 and the flexible cover 12 will unwind from the elongatedroll bar member 18. Because the outer diameter of the wound up tarp onthe roll bar member 18 is greater than the diameter of the part of theroll bar member proximate the area where the cord 158 is wound up whenthe roll bar member 18 is in the open position (P6), it is believed thatthe cord 158 is wound up on the roll bar member 18 at a linear rate thatis less than the linear rate of the release or unwinding of the rolledup portion of the tarp 12 until the roll bar member 18 begins to getclose to the side of the trailer 6 where the latch plate 64 a′ islocated, which causes the respective cords 158 at each end of therespective roll bar member 18 to slide over the tops 25 of therespective end caps 8 e, 8 f and the respective edges of the latch plate64 a′. When the roll bar member 18 is moving toward the fully openposition (P6) from the initial wind-up position (P3), the cord 158 willslide over the respective tops 25 of the respective end caps 8 e, 8 f,toward the other side of the truck box 6, where the roll bar member 18will rest when it is in the fully open position (P6), because the tarp12 will gradually effectively increase the diameter of the rolled-uptarp 12 on the roll bar with respect to the diameter of the portion ofthe roll bar member 18 where the cord 158 is unwound, as the tarp 12 isso gathered.

It is noted that the cord 158 winds-up around the outer tube 19 b of theelongated roll bar member 18, preferably not around a spool. Unlike rolltarp apparatuses where the cord winds-up around a spool, the cord 158generally rolls flat on the roll bar member and generally does notgather upon itself as the cord winds around the elongated roll barmember 18. It is also noted that the cord 158 is gathered on andreleased from a portion of the roll bar member 18 that does not extendbeyond the end cap 8 e, 8 f on either end of the trailer 6. It isbelieved, but not relied upon, that when the cord 158 winds-up aroundthe outer tube 19 b over the end cap 8 e, 8 f, as opposed to being woundaround a spool or the like, that extends out beyond the end cap oneither end of the trailer, it is safer because the cord cannot catch onany ladder or other devices positioned on the ends of the truck box orget in the way of dump gates, doors or the like. Moreover, the cord isfurther out of the way and protected from passing trees and otherobjects. Additionally, the cord preferably winds such that the cord doesnot overlap itself and winds-up in the direction of the tarp (see, forexample, FIGS. 12A, 12B), when the roll bar member 18 is going from theunwound position (P2) to the secured position (P1). When spools areused, they are generally used on the end of an elongated roll bar thatextends out beyond the end caps so that the cord or cable is out andaway from the front or back of the trailer where it can easily be eitherin the way of other operations or become engaged with passing objects.

Now also referring to FIGS. 18B-18C, it will be understood that biasingmembers 150′, 150″ and 150′″ may be configured such that they are atleast partially located within the truck box 6. Typical truck boxes 6include a supportive frame 6 a including a skin or shell 6 b securedthereto. Inside the truck box 6 is a hopper 6 c. In various embodiments,a tensioning element 156′, 156″, 156′″ of the respective biasing member150′, 150″, 150′″ can be secured to a portion of the frame 6 a and therespective cord 158′, 158″, 158′″ can extend out of the truck box 6 viaan aperture 6 d in the shell 6 b. Preferably, the aperture 6 d includesa grommet 170 to reduce wear on the cord 158′, 158″, 158′″ and can serveto guide the cord to the elongated roll bar member 18. As shown, thebiasing member 150′, 150″, 150′″ can be secured to the frame 6 a at avariety of angles with respect to the side 8 d of the truck box 6.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 12A, 13A, 19, 20 and 24-29, the elongatedroll bar member 18 preferably includes an inner tube 19 a, an outer tube19 b having an outwardly opening longitudinal channel 19 c that is incommunication with an larger longitudinal channel 19 d, and a spacerelements 19 e that position the inner tube 19 a within the outer tube 19b. The spacer elements 19 e can be secured to the outer tube 19 b with ascrew fastener 19 f or the like. Preferably, the inner tube 19 a servesas an attachment point for the motive source 30 or coupling 323 (furtherdiscussed below), and to facilitate the connection between the tube 19 aand the motive source the tube 19 a may project beyond the end of theouter tube 19 b. In preferred embodiments, the flexible tarp 12 isprovided with an enlarged longitudinal bead that is removably positionedwithin the longitudinal channel 19 d by feeding the bead into an openend of the channel 19 d and sliding the rest of the cover 12 along thechannel 19 c. In further preferred embodiments, as further discussedbelow, a cord 258 of a biasing member 250 is secured to and unwraps fromaround the outer tube 19 a as the elongated roll bar member 18 movesinto the open position. More specifically, it is important to note thatthe cord of the biasing member and the flexible tarp are arranged sothat they wind about the elongated roll bar member in oppositedirections. Thus, for example, as the roll-up tarp assembly 110 is movedfrom the open position toward the secured or latched position, the tarpis unrolled or unfurled as the cord 158 of the biasing member 150 isbeing wound about the roll bar. Conversely, as the roll bar 18 is movedfrom the secured position toward the open position, the cord 158 of thebiasing member 150 is unwound from the roll bar as the tarp 12 is beingrolled-up or furled about the roll bar. It is also important todistinguish how the tarp 12 and the cord 158 of the biasing member 150wind about the roll bar 18. As the tarp assembly 110 is moved betweenthe open and secured positions, the cord 158 of the biasing member 150winds preferably about the roll bar 18 in a spiral or helical manner,while the tarp 12 winds upon itself and its circumference changes. Whenthe tarp 12 rolls upon itself, it also may roll upon portions of thesupport bars or ribs 9 and/or the upper surface 25 end caps 8 e, 8 f. Itwill be appreciated that the roll bar 18 circumference increases as theroll bar moves from a position just above the latch plate 64 a, 64 a′adjacent the second longitudinal side 8 b to the open position adjacentthe first longitudinal side 8 d. As the roll bar 18 moves from thesecond longitudinal side 8 b to the first longitudinal side 8 d, thecircumference of the rolled-up tarp 12 becomes significantly larger thanthe roll bar 18, while the cord 158 unwinds at a constant rate. Thiscreates a distance differential that results in an increase in tensionin the cord 158 as the elongated roll bar member 18 and the tarp 12 aremoved to the open position. This increased tension is accommodated bythe tensioning or spring element 156 of the biasing member 150. When theelongated roll bar member 18 is moved past the latch plate 64 a′ andallowed to continue to unroll until it bottoms out tension is at aminimum. However, as the roll bar 18 continues to rotate in the samedirection, the tarp 12 is rolled up against the latch plate 64 a′ andthe force exerted by the tensioning member 156 increases. As it turnsout, the forces exerted by the biasing member 150 when the roll up tarpassembly 110 is in either the open or secured positions are roughly thesame, while the force exerted by the tensioning member 156 when theelongated roll bar member 18 is located between the longitudinal sides 8b, 8 d of the truck box 6 will be less than the tensioning forces whenthe elongated roll bar member 18 is in either the open or securedposition.

Now also referring to FIGS. 12B and 13B illustrating an alternativeflexible tarp 12′ that is secured within the channel 19 c of theelongated roll bar member 18. FIGS. 12B and 13B further illustrate howcord 158 can be secured into channel 19 c by tying a knot 163 in cord158 and then sliding the knot into the channel. Knot 163 may bepreferred over the screw illustrated in FIG. 12A because the knot 163can be readjusted as desired. Such adjustments are easily made when theroll bar member 18 is in the unwound position (P2), when the tension onthe cord 15, created by the biasing element 150, is the least that itwill be at any point in the transition from the fully open position (P6)to the fully secured position (P1).

Referring now also to FIGS. 26-27, an alternate roll-up tarp assembly510 is illustrated. The roll-up tarp assembly 510 of FIGS. 26-27 issimilar to the roll-up tarp assemblies 10, 210, 710 except for a biasingmember 550 is secured above, and generally parallel to, a latch plate564 that extends along one longitudinal side 8 b of the truck box 6. Thelatch plate 564 is largely similar to that disclosed in otherembodiments and includes a downwardly facing underside 564 d, a topsurface 564 e, and a vertically oriented attachment flange 564 h. Thisroll-up tarp assembly 510 is preferred in embodiments utilizing a handcrank assembly 600, wherein the biasing member 550 includes a spring 556connected to a generally non-resilient cord 558 that wraps around acorner guide 566 and then to the elongated roll bar member 518.Preferably, the corner guide and the biasing member 550 are secured to avertical flange of the latch plate 564. The biasing member 550 assiststhe operator of the hand crank assembly 600 in unrolling the flexibletarp 512 to cover the opening 7 a of the truck box 6.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 17A-17C, the roll bar biasing member 250 isoperatively secured to the truck box 6 and includes a cord 258interconnected to a tensioning element or spring 256 with a clip 264 anda pulley 266. One end 260 of the cord 258 is preferably interconnectedto the latch plate 64 a′ and a second end 262 is interconnected to theelongated roll bar member 18, for example, by drilling a hole throughthe external surface of the outer tube 19 b of the elongated roll barmember 18, extending the cord through the hole and tying a retainingknot in the end 262 of the cord 258 (another option in which the cord isconnected to the elongated roll bar member with a screw is illustratedin FIGS. 12-13). In further embodiments (not shown), a knot can be tiedin the end of the cord, and the knot can be slipped into the channel 9 cand the pulled tight to secure. This roll bar biasing member 250 isgenerally less preferred for motorized roll-up tarp apparatuses as itrequires about two times the length of cord 258 to stretch thetensioning element or spring 256 as compared to an embodiment utilizinga cord directly connected to the tensioning element as discussed herein.Utilizing a pulley 266 is occasionally preferred, especially when theroll-up tarp apparatus is installed on a trailer 6 having a shortersidewall. For roll-up tarp apparatuses utilizing a crank arm (see also,FIG. 23), the pulley reduces the amount of force needed to operate thecrank arm 400. In essence, when turning the crank arm 400 to positionthe elongated roll bar member 18 into the secured position, the pulley266 will require that the spring 256 be stretched half as much than ifthe cord 258 was directly attached to the spring 256, thereby making iteasier to move the elongated roll bar member 18 against the bias of thespring 256. It is further believed that this embodiment may haveadditional safety features, in that the spring 256 is not stretchedsignificantly in operation, as would be the case if a pulley 266 was notused. The pulley 266 allows for easier rolling up of the tarp 12 withoutoverstretching the spring 256. It is believed, but not relied upon, thatthe roll-up tarp apparatus 210 applies forces to the elongated roll barmember 18 generally as illustrated in FIG. 22. In alternate embodiments(not shown, multiple pulleys may be used in series to simplify or easethe turning of such a crank arm and/or the cord 258 can be bolted to aside of the truck box 6 or the latch plate 64 a′.

In preferred embodiments, a second roll bar biasing member (not shown)is additionally provided at the rear end of the elongated roll barmember 18 to assist the motive source 30 in moving the rear end of theelongated roll bar member 18 in the unroll direction uniformly. Thesecond roll bar biasing member is preferably identical to the first rollbar biasing member 250 and is provided so that there is generallyuniform tension on the elongated roll bar member 18. The rear biasingmember can be connected to the elongated roll bar member 18 in the samemanner as the first roll bar biasing member 250 as discussed above.

Preferably, the roll-up tarp assemblies 110, 210 of the presentinvention are arranged and configured such that a substantial portion ofwound-up cord 158, 258 is stowed underneath the latch plate 64 a, 64 a′when the elongated roll bar member 18 is in the latched, securedposition. In preferred embodiments, the cord 158, 258 winds around theelongated roll bar member 518 and the wound up portion has a thicknessgenerally no greater than the thickness of the tarp 12 such that theelongated roll bar member 18 can fit snugly under the downwardly facingcurved or arcuate underside surface 64 d, 64 d′ of latch plate 64 a, 64a′ as illustrated (see also, for example, FIGS. 7B, 16C, 17C). When theelongated roll bar member 18 is in the secured position, the tarp 12 iswrapped around the elongated roll bar; the thickness of the tarp will begreater than the thickness of the cord that wrapped around the roll barmember. This separation takes pressure off of the cord that wouldotherwise exist if the cord was thicker than the tarp material gatheredaround the roll bar 18 proximate the respective ends of the roll bar 18.In a preferred embodiment (not shown), a webbing material, such as thetype of material used to make seat belts for motor vehicles and thelike, is sewn into the edge of the tarp 12, thus providing greatthickness to the respective edges of the tarp 12 in the area where thisthickness is helpful to provide separation from the latch plate 64 aproximate to portion of the cord 158 that is wound up around the rollbar member 18, when the roll bar is in the secured position (P1). Thiswill significantly reduce the likelihood that the cord 158, 258 might beworn or abraded by coming into contact with the bottom surface of thelatch plate 64 a.

The cord 158, 258 may be made out of a plurality of woven strands ofnatural material such as jute or the like, or a plurality of strands ofpolymeric rope making material such as polyester, nylon or the like oreven wire ropes or cables. In preferred embodiments, the generallynon-elastic cord will be a nylon polyester braided cord, preferably a3/16 inch nylon polyester braided cord. With synthetic materials, thecord preferably includes a jacket surrounding an inner cord. Preferably,the inner cord is polyester material and the jacket is made of nylonmaterial. Alternatively, KEVLAR® para-aramid synthetic cord can be usedas the inner cord in conjunction with a polyester or nylon jacket, forexample. Para-aramid synthetic cord and the like are preferred becausethey generally do not stretch over time. Metal rope and cables are notgenerally preferred, however, as they are not generally flexible enoughto allow the generally non-elastic cord to slide around the edges of thetruck box. In addition, a metal rope and cables are generally moreabrasive and can mar surfaces. For embodiments in which a jacket issecured over the inner cord, black is the preferred color for the jacketbecause it is believed that black will best prevent ultraviolet raysfrom damaging the inner cord.

The decision to include one or two arms as well as the decision toinclude what type and location of biasing members is largelycustomizable. If the roll-up tarp apparatus is to only have one arm, itis preferred that the arm be located on the front end of the truck boxto accommodate rear opening style ends as previously discussed. It maybe desirable to eliminate any sort of arm or biasing member on the frontside of the truck box so that ladders can be more easily positionedproximate the front end of the truck box. Embodiments of the presentinvention further include an upper biasing member secured to the frontarm and a lower biasing member connected to the second, rear arm. Inaddition, the front arm may include an upper biasing member as well as alower biasing member, wherein the rear arm could be omitted and theelongated roll bar member could be additionally biased with an upperbiasing member secured to the elongated roll bar member with a rotatablecollar or the like. Alternatively, only upper or only lower biasingmembers can be utilized. The number of potential combinations ofelements of the present invention is virtually limitless and all can beutilized as desired to create a product embodying characteristicsdesired for the specific product and purpose. All such combinations areconsidered within the scope of the invention.

Elongated roll bar members 18, 518 can have a variety of diameters. Inpreferred embodiments, the elongated roll bar member 18, 518 has adiameter of about three inches. In alternate embodiments, the elongatedroll bar member 18, 518 can have a diameter of two inches, more or less.Preferably, the elongated roll bar member 18, 518 has a diameter ofabout three inches as the inventor has found that this larger elongatedroll bar member is less prone to bending or bowing and will remainstraighter as the flexible tarp is rolled-up and unrolled. In addition,it is believed that a roll bar having a diameter of about three incheswill be more able to resist wind and gravitational forces than a smallerdiameter elongated roll bar member. Moreover, it is believed that alarger diameter roll bar member 18, 518 will be able to provide for astraighter and more uniform roll-up of the flexible tarp 12.

For elongated roll bar members 18 having a larger diameter, for examplea diameter of about three inches or more, the motive source 30 ispreferably interconnected to a converter unit 300 that allows the motor31 to provide more torque to the roll bar member 18, as opposed tohaving to use a more powerful motor (see, for example, FIGS. 19-21).Generally, the converter unit or unit 300 will be a force multipliersuch as a chain drive, a gear box, a V-belt drive system or the likethat multiplies the force proved by the motor 31. The convert unit 300is preferably connected to the second or top end 24 a of the arm 22 a,and includes a shaft 322 that is connectable to the elongated roll barmember 18 with a coupler 323. More specifically, one preferred convertedunit 300 shown in FIG. 19 includes a u-shaped frame or housing 302 withan input section 304 and an output section 306, with the housingincluding two side walls 308, 310 connected to each other by a web 312,with the side walls supporting first and second parallel shafts 320, 322at respective input and output sections 304, 306. In furtherembodiments, the housing 302 is fully enclosed. The housing 302 ispreferably small as a smaller housing will generally have a lowerweight. The first and second shafts 320, 322 are rotatably supported bybearing elements 324, and each shaft 320, 322 supports a wheel 326, 328,respectively. The wheels 326, 328, which are preferably located betweenthe side walls of the housing 302, are spaced apart from each other andwhich are connected to each other by an the endless belt 330, which isalso preferably located between the side walls 308, 310 of the housing.Preferably, the wheels 326, 328 are sprockets and the endless belt is achain 330 that engages teeth 327, 329, respectively, of sprockets 326,328. The first wheel or sprocket 326, attached to the first shaft 320,is operatively connected to the motor 31, which can also be attached tothe housing 302. The second wheel or sprocket 328, attached to thesecond shaft 322, is connectable to the elongated roll bar member 18. Toprevent slippage and/or possible disengagement of the endless belt 330from the first and second wheels 326, 328 due to slack, the unit 300 maybe provided with an adjustable idler wheel 340 secured on shaft 342.Preferably, the circumference of the first wheel or sprocket 326 issmaller than the circumference of the wheel or second sprocket 328 sothat the motor 31 will be able to exert a greater amount of torque tothe roll bar member 18 than it would in the absence of the device. Itwill be appreciated that differences between the rotational speeds ofthe first and second sprockets 326, 328 will generally depend upon thenumber of teeth 327, 329 of each sprocket. For example, if the number ofteeth 327 on the first sprocket 326 is one half the number of teeth 329on the second sprocket 328, the first sprocket will rotate twice as fastas the second sprocket. However, the second sprocket 328 will have twicethe torque of the first sprocket 326. Or, if the number of teeth on thefirst sprocket is one third of the number of teeth on the secondsprocket, the first sprocket will rotate three times as fast as thesecond sprocket, while the second sprocket will have three times thetorque of the first sprocket. In a preferred embodiment, the ratio ofthe number of teeth of the first sprocket to the number of teeth of thesecond sprocket is in the range of about 1:1 to about 1:4. Morepreferably, the ratio is about 1:2. Even more preferably the firstsprocket has 12 teeth and the second sprocket has 26 teeth, for a ratioof about 1:2. In preferred embodiments, the motor itself will provide adrive ratio of from 60:1 to 120:1, preferably 90:1, which can then bemultiplied by the multiplier effect of the converter unit 300; which, ifit is 2:1, would result in a drive ratio of 180:1. Preferably, themultiplier effect of the converter unit 300, shown in FIGS. 19 and 20,is 2.16:1. The preferred, motor and converter unit combination ratio is194.4:1. As noted in the earlier discussion of the worm gear typemotors, which are preferred as a part of the motive source 30 of thepresent invention, the design of the worm gear acts as a stop to preventunrolling of the roll bar member 18 when it is in a fully secured orclosed position.

Now also referring to FIG. 23, certain preferred embodiments, asadditionally discussed above, include a roll-up tarp apparatus having acrank arm assembly 400 for actuating movement of the elongated roll barmember 18. For example, the roll-up tarp apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 can beconfigured such that instead of including an arm 22 a having a motivesource 30, the apparatus includes a crank arm assembly 400 secured tothe inner tube 419 a of the elongated roll bar member. The crank armassembly 400 further includes a shaft 436. Preferably, the inner tube419 a and the shaft 436 include corresponding adaptors 442, 444 that canbe connected to form a universal joint 440. An operator can grasp androtate the shaft 436 such that the elongated roll bar member willcorrespondingly rotate to move the roll bar member into the secured oropen position, respectively.

FIG. 32 generally illustrates a preferred latch plate 64 a, as alsoshown in FIG. 2B, having a latch plate cap or cover 1066. The latchplate cover 1066 preferably slides over at least a portion of the latchplate(s) 64 a and creates a smooth, almost slippery surface for the cord158 and tarp 12 to pass over to reduce abrasion, thus improving theuseful life of the cord 158 and the tarp 12. The preferred latch platecap 1066 is made of extruded T6 aluminum that is hard anodized. Hardanodizing produces a much thicker coating of aluminum oxide, penetratingholes and fissures in the surface in the latch plate cap to create amore uniform and smooth surface. Stainless steel and the like can alsobe used. Therefore, with respect to the cord 158, the latch plate cap1066 has a coefficient of friction that is less than the coefficient offriction of the latch plate 64 a. The preferred latch plate cover 1066is arranged and configured such that the latch plate cover 1066 can beinstalled by generally sliding the latch plate cover 1066 over the edgeof the latch plate 64 a. In even more preferred embodiments, one end ofthe latch plate cover is crimped (not shown) so that it is moredifficult to slide the last portion of the latch plate cover 1066 overthe latch plate 64 a, perhaps requiring a hammer to tap the crimped endof the latch plate cover to force fit the cover over the latch plate. Aswill be understood, the crimped end generally secures the latch platecover to the latch plate.

Alternatively, the latch plate, selected portions of the latch plate, oreven the entire latch plate itself, can be hard anodized to achievesimilar results.

Yet another alternate embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 33, includes alatch plate that includes a plurality of sections 64 a′ as isillustrated in FIGS. 11 and 33. Such embodiments preferably furtherinclude a latch plate cover 1066′ that generally bridges the latch platesections 64 a′. This embodiment is preferred in that as the flexibletarp (not shown) moves over the latch plate sections 64 a′, the flexibletarp contacts the generally non-abrasive latch plate cover 1066′, whichcovers abrasive outer edges 64 c′ of each of the respective latch platesections 64 a′.

It is further preferred that the roll-up tarp apparatus include a wearplate 1069 as is generally illustrated in FIG. 32. The wear plate 1069is secured to the upper surface 25 of the end cap 8 f proximate theposition where the cord 158 would contact the end cap 8 f and/or side ofthe truck box 6. Similar to the latch plate cap 1066, the preferred wearplate 1069 is made of T6 aluminum that is hard anodized, stainlesssteel, or the like such that when the cord 158 moves against the headcap 1069, friction is reduced, thus increasing the useful life of thecord. The upper surface 25 of the end cap 8 f is protected from wearthat could create a groove having a sharp edge that could cut or abradethe cord 158.

In even further preferred embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 26, 27and 32, for example, the elongated roll bar 18, 518 further includes aband 570 to protect the upper ridge or air dam 8 g of the end cap 8 fand the outer tube 19 b of the elongated roll bar 18 as the elongatedroll bar moves across the upper ridge 8 g of the end cap 8 f. Such aband 570 can be made of plastic or rubber, preferably engineeredplastic, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or the like such thatas the elongated roll bar 18 moves across the upper ridge 8 g at the topof the end cap 8 f, the band 570 contacts the end cap 8 f, thusminimizing abrasive contact between the outer tube 19 b and therespective end cap 8 f to reduce, if not eliminate, wear on both theupper ridge 8 g and the roll bar 18. It will be appreciated that a bandof this type can be positioned at the opposite end to protect theelongated roll bar and the upper ridge of the end cap at the other endof the truck box.

An additional preferred roll-up tarp assembly 1110 is illustrated inFIGS. 34-41A and 42. The roll-up tarp assembly 1110, at least onelateral edge 1116 a, 1116 b of the flexible tarp 1112 includes at leastone magnet 1188 that can releasably secure the flexible tarp 11112 tothe top surface 25 of the respective end cap 8 e, 8 f when therespective end cap 8 e, 8 f, or, in the alternative at least the uppersurface 25 of the respective end cap 8 e, 8 f is made of ferromagneticmaterial to which a magnet is attracted and the flexible tarp 1112 is inthe secured position. The ferromagnetic material will preferably besheet steel or ferromagnetic stainless steel. In preferred embodimentsthis material will be galvanized sheet steel. In preferred embodiments,the magnets 1188 are secured to the tarp 1112 with caps 1180, whereineach cap 1180 includes a head 1182, a stem 1184 and a base 1186, whereinthe base 1186 and stem 1184 can be inserted through an aperture 1190 inthe magnet 1188 and the base 1186 can be compressed with a tool (notshown) that will expand the diameter of the base as compared to the stemto flare out the base and secure the magnet 1188 to the edges 1116 a,1116 b of the flexible tarp 1112, as is generally illustrated in FIGS.34, 35, 43 and 44. Although not required, it is preferred that eachlateral end 1116 a, 1116 b include a plurality of caps 1180 andcorresponding magnets 1188, spaced generally equidistant from eachother. Preferably, the magnets 1188 are spaced apart, one for every 6inches or so, preferably about every 8 inches to about 12 inches ormore, depending on the application. The inventor found that if themagnets 1188 are spaced closely together, the flexible tarp 1112 rollsup thicker on the elongated roll bar 1118 and is less preferred. Magnets1188 are provided to prevent wear and tear on the flexible tarp 1112 dueto wind and the like, as well as to secure the cargo within the truckbox. It is envisioned that the magnets will prevent wear and tear onboth the front end of the tarp and the rear end of the tarp duringhauling when the roll tarp is in use to cover a load. During long hauls,especially in windy parts of the world, the edges of the tarp willgenerally beat against the head caps uncontrollably if there is anyextra tarp that is not pulled tightly across the end cap. It will beappreciated that it is this wear and tear that causes a lot of damage tothe tarp and can lead a need to replace the tarp prematurely. Usingmagnets 1188 to hold the edges of the tarp down is one of the best waysto protect the tarp from such a need. It will be understood that theflexible tarp 1112, including magnets 1188, can be used in all otherembodiments disclosed herein as well. It will be further understood thatthe magnets 1188 need not be secured to the tarp 1112 with caps 1180 butother devices and methods can be used, as well, such as plasticenclosures in which magnets are enclosed (not shown) that can be securedto the tarp by adhesive bonding, RF (radio frequency) welding, heatsealing, sewing and the like.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 41B and 41C, alternate approaches tothe use of magnetic attraction to hold the edge of the flexible tarp1112 down onto the upper surface of the end cap 8 e, 8 f are alsodisclosed. As shown in FIG. 41B a ferromagnetic strip, preferably rolledsteel sheet material, galvanized sheet steel or ferromagnetic stainlesssteel is secured onto the top surface 25 of the end cap 8 e to provide asurface to which the magnet 1188 will be attracted. The strip can beattached with heavy duty two sided adhesive tape or by other means suchas bolting or the like. In FIG. 41C the magnets 1188″ are attached tothe upper surface 25 of the end cap 8 c using such heavy duty adhesivetape and strips 1189 of ferromagnetic material, such as galvanized steelor the like are attached to the lower side of the edge of the flexibletarp 1112″ so that the magnets 1188″ can attract the strips 1198 andhold the tarp 1112″ down on the upper surface 25 of the end cap 8 e.

Referring now also to FIGS. 34-44, the roll-up tarp assembly 1110further includes two brackets 1798 a, 1798 b that secure each arm 1122a, 1122 b to the respective side 8 a, 8 c of the truck box. Front andrear arms 1122 a, 1122 b are largely similar to each other. The arm thatdoes not include a converter unit 1130 having a motor 1331, in this caserear arm 1122 b, can include a crank connector 1128 in case of motorfailure. Each arm 1122 a, 1122 b includes a top end 1124 a, 1124 ctelescopically connected to a bottom end 1124 b, 1124 d. The front andrear arms 1122 a, 1122 b are preferably biased with a lower biasingmember 1800 similar to that shown with respect to FIG. 29. Basing member1800 is preferably attached to a bracket 1798 b that is secured to theside of the truck box 6 with corresponding second bracket 1798 a withnuts and bolts 1798 c, 1798 d, 1798 e (see in particular, FIGS. 35 and37). Bolt 1798 e is preferably arranged and configured such to allow thebracket 1798 b to pivot to accommodate slanted sidewalls 8 c′. Thebracket 1798 b having a rod or post 1793 on which one or more clocksprings 1802 or the like can be secured. Preferably, bushings 1796 aresecured around the rod 1793 proximate where the rod 1793 is insertedthrough the connecting portion 1727. The clock spring(s) 1802 can alsobe secured to a bolt 1803 of the connecting portion 1727 of the arm 1722b such that the clock springs 1802 bias the arm 1722 b in the unrolldirection. In various preferred embodiments, the connecting portion 1727includes a plurality of apertures 1794 such that the bolt 1803 can bepositioned at different positions such that the amount of bias isadjustable. The connecting portion 1727 can be sized such that the clocksprings 1802 are generally contained by the connecting portion and theclock springs will not move laterally along the rod 1793. The lowerbiasing member 1800 of FIG. 35 can be used with all various armsdisclosed herein as desired.

Further preferred embodiments include an arm, either front arm 1122 a orrear arm 1122 b or both, each having a hollow interior 1124 j, whereinat least one electrical cable 1138 or the like (not shown) can belocated within the hollow interior 1124 j to protect the cable 1138 fromsnagging and the elements, for example. The electrical cable(s) 1138,when inserted, can extend from converter unit 1130, as shown in FIG. 34,through the generally hollow interior 1124 j of the arm 1122 a and thento the power source (see, for example, electrical power source 33 ofFIG. 1). The front arm 1122 a, shown in FIG. 34 and the rear arm 1122 b,shown in FIGS. 35-44, will be made in the same manner and willpreferably have the same components, with the exception that the frontarm generally encases or houses the electrical cables 1138. Referringnow also to FIG. 35, the upper portion 1124 c of the rear arm 1122 bpreferably includes at least one friction-reducing cylindrical wearplate 1124 e that acts as a bushing, just as the front arm 1122 a does.The wear plate 1124 e, shown in FIG. 38, can be secured to the upperportion 1124 c with set screws 1124 g or the like. The lower arm 1124 dpreferably includes a corresponding wear plate 1124 i that is secured tothe lower arm 1124 d with at least one collar 1124 f, preferably onecollar 1124 f at each end of the wear plate 1124 i. The wear plate(s)1124 e, 1124 i can be made of can be made of a variety of smooth,lightweight materials such as nylon or the like. The collars 1124 f,which hold the lower arm wear plate 1124 i in place on the lower arm1124 d, are in turn preferably held in place with set screws 1124 k. Infurther preferred embodiments, the end of the lower arm 1124 d includesa plug 1124 h to create a smooth end and to save the step of deburringthe end of the lower arm 1124 d. Alternatively, the end of the lower arm1124 d is deburred to prevent any damage to the cords 1138 runningthrough the arm 1122 a. In operation, when the upper arm 1124 c slidesupwardly with respect to the lower arm 1124 d, the wear plate 1124 e ofthe upper arm 1124 c will eventually contact the collar 1124 f of thelower arm, thus limiting the movement of the upper arm 1124 c withrespect to the lower arm 1124 d and preventing the upper arm 1124 c fromdisconnecting from the lower arm 1124 d. The front arm 1122 a haselectrical cables 1138 running through the length of a structure that isgenerally exactly the same as the rear arm 1122 b described immediatelyabove and shown in FIG. 38.

Another alternate roll-up tarp assembly 2110 is illustrated in FIGS.43-44. The roll-up tarp assembly 2110 is largely similar to that ofpreviously disclosed embodiments and includes at least one arm 2122having upper and lower ends 2124 a, 2124 b interconnected by a flexiblehose 2750. The hose 2750 does not include an inner spring, but stillprovides biasing force to assist conversion unit 2130 in moving the arm2122 in a closed position. In preferred embodiments, each arm 2122 isconnected to the truck box 6 with first and second brackets 2798 a, 2798b as are also shown in FIGS. 35 and 37. The roll-up tarp apparatus ispreferably arranged and configured such that the arm 2122 is biased inthe closed position with an upper biasing member 2150 having a cord 2158that is connected to an elongated biasing member 2118 with a collar2180. The cord 2158 is connected to an elastic member 2156, such as aspring. A pulley, roller or other device 2167 can be positioned at theedge for the truck box 6 to guide the cord 2158. A portion of the cord2158 and the elastic member 2156 can be placed within a housing 2160 toprotect these components and users of the roll-up tarp apparatus 2110.

An alternate preferred upper biasing member arrangement is illustratedin FIGS. 45A-45B. In this embodiment, a biasing member 3150 including anelastic member 3156 and cord 3158 are positioned on the end 8 a of thetruck box 6, proximate the end cap 8 e. The cord 3158 is interconnectedto the elastic member 3156 with pulley 3266 a. Furthermore, two pulleysor rollers 3266 b can be used to guide the cord 3158 to an elongatedroll bar 3118. FIG. 45A illustrates the elongated roll bar member 3118in the full open position against support post 65, in where the elasticmember 3156 is stretched. FIG. 45B illustrates the elongated roll barmember 3118 in a full closed position, in where the elastic member 3156is not as stretched.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Furthermodification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to thoseskilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed tobe within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A roll-up tarp apparatus in combination with anopen top truck trailer; the combination comprising: an open top trucktrailer including: an open top truck trailer having a truck box, thetruck box having a top opening, two ends and first and secondlongitudinal sides, the truck box being further equipped with end capsat each of the two ends, wherein each end cap partially covers the topopening; wherein at least one of the end caps includes at least onemagnet; a roll-up tarp apparatus comprising: a flexible tarp, the tarphaving first and second lateral edges and first and second longitudinaledges; wherein the first longitudinal edge can be interconnected to thefirst longitudinal side of the truck box; wherein one of the lateraledges includes a portion of ferromagnetic material; an elongated rollbar member attached to the second longitudinal edge of the tarp; theelongated roll bar member having first and second ends; wherein the tarpcan be wound around the elongated roll bar member such that therespective lateral edges of the flexible tarp are wound around theelongated roll bar along with the ferromagnetic material, which isattached thereto, when the flexible tarp is gathered on the elongatedroll bar; and an arm connecting to the elongated roll bar member to thetruck box; wherein the arm can selectively actuate movement of theelongated roll bar member over the top opening of the truck box in bothan unroll direction to position the tarp in a secured position and aroll-up direction to secure the tarp in an open position, when theflexible tarp is gathered on the elongated roll bar; and wherein theferromagnetic material is configured to releasably secure the flexibletarp to the at least one magnet of the respective end cap when theflexible tarp is unwound from around the elongated roll bar and is inthe secured position.
 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein a pluralitymagnets are secured to one end cap.
 3. The combination of claim 1,wherein a plurality of magnets are secured to each end cap.
 4. Thecombination of claim 3, wherein the ferromagnetic material is securedproximate each lateral edge of the flexible tarp.
 5. The combination ofclaim 1, further comprising a latch plate secured to and extending alongat least a portion of the second longitudinal side of the truck box. 6.The combination of claim 1, wherein the arm includes a hollow interior;wherein a friction-reducing sleeve is positioned at least partiallywithin the hollow interior.
 7. The combination of claim 1, wherein thearm is operated by a crank.
 8. The combination of claim 1, wherein thearm is operated with a motive source.
 9. The combination of claim 8,wherein the arm has first and second ends, the first end connected tothe motive source and the second end pivotally connected to the truckbox; wherein the arm includes a first section, a second section and abiasing member; wherein the first and second sections are interconnectedby the biasing member; wherein the biasing member is selected from thegroup consisting of a conduit, a hose, a spring and a combinationthereof.
 10. The combination of claim 8, further comprising a biasingmember interconnected between the truck box and the elongated roll barmember, the biasing member including: a generally non-elastic cordinterconnected to one end of the elongated roll bar member; wherein thecord can wind around the elongated roll bar member as the elongated rollbar member moves in the unroll direction; and a tensioning elementhaving a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of thetensioning element is interconnected to the cord and the second end ofthe tensioning element is interconnected to the second longitudinal sideof the truck box when the roll-up tarp apparatus is operatively securedto the truck box, such that the biasing member biases the elongated rollbar member in the unroll direction; wherein the generally non-elasticcord slides over one of the end caps when the elongated roll bar membermoves away from the open position toward the secured position.
 11. Aroll-up tarp apparatus in combination with an open top truck trailer;the combination comprising: an open top truck trailer including: an opentop truck trailer having a truck box, the truck box having a topopening, two ends and first and second longitudinal sides, the truck boxbeing further equipped with one end cap at each of the two ends, whereineach end cap partially covers the top opening; wherein each of the endcap includes at least one magnet; a roll-up tarp apparatus comprising: aflexible tarp, the tarp having first and second lateral edges and firstand second longitudinal edges; wherein the first longitudinal edge canbe interconnected to the first longitudinal side of the truck box;wherein the first and second lateral edges each include a portion offerromagnetic material; an elongated roll bar member attached to thesecond longitudinal edge of the tarp; the elongated roll bar memberhaving first and second ends; wherein the tarp can be wound around theelongated roll bar member such that the respective lateral edges of theflexible tarp are wound around the elongated roll bar along with theferromagnetic material, which is attached thereto, when the flexibletarp is gathered on the elongated roll bar; and an arm connecting to theelongated roll bar member to the truck box; wherein the arm canselectively actuate movement of the elongated roll bar member over thetop opening of the truck box in both an unroll direction to position thetarp in a secured position and a roll-up direction to secure the tarp inan open position, when the flexible tarp is gathered on the elongatedroll bar; and wherein the portions of ferromagnetic material areconfigured to releasably secure the flexible tarp to the at least onemagnet of the respective end caps when the flexible tarp is unwound fromaround the elongated roll bar and is in the secured position.
 12. Thecombination of claim 11, further comprising a latch plate that issecured to and extend along at least a portion of the secondlongitudinal side of the truck box.
 13. The combination of claim 11,wherein the ferromagnetic material is secured proximate each lateraledge of the flexible tarp.
 14. The combination of claim 11, wherein thearm includes a hollow interior; wherein a friction-reducing sleeve ispositioned at least partially within the hollow interior.
 15. Thecombination of claim 11, wherein the arm is operated by a crank.
 16. Thecombination of claim 11, wherein the arm is operated with a motivesource.
 17. The combination of claim 16, wherein the arm has first andsecond ends, the first end connected to the motive source and the secondend pivotally connected to the truck box; wherein the arm includes afirst section, a second section and a biasing member; wherein the firstand second sections are interconnected by the biasing member; whereinthe biasing member is selected from the group consisting of a conduit, ahose, a spring and a combination thereof.
 18. The combination of claim17, further comprising a biasing member interconnected between the truckbox and the elongated roll bar member, the biasing member including: agenerally non-elastic cord interconnected to one end of the elongatedroll bar member; wherein the cord can wind around the elongated roll barmember as the elongated roll bar member moves in the unroll direction;and a tensioning element having a first end and a second end, whereinthe first end of the tensioning element is interconnected to the cordand the second end of the tensioning element can be interconnected tothe second longitudinal side of the truck box when the roll-up tarpapparatus is operatively secured to the truck box, such that the biasingmember biases the elongated roll bar member in the unroll direction;wherein the generally non-elastic cord slides over one of the end capswhen the elongated roll bar member moves away from the open positiontoward the secured position.